The US government has scheduled a classified briefing for the House of Representatives on Tuesday, focusing on China’s alleged Salt Typhoon hacking campaign that targeted American telecommunications companies. Eight firms in the US have reportedly been impacted, with metadata stolen from a large number of Americans.
Several agencies, including the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Federal Communications Commission, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, will participate in the 2:15 p.m. ET briefing for all House lawmakers. The White House has confirmed that a significant breach occurred, with concerns about when Congress can address the issue.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden plans to draft legislation on this matter, while others have expressed concern over the security risks posed by the Salt Typhoon campaign. A Senate Commerce subcommittee will also hold a hearing on Wednesday to review best practices and discuss the impact of Chinese hacking on US communications networks.
Chinese officials have denied the allegations as disinformation, but US officials claim that hackers targeted major carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen, stealing telephone audio intercepts and call record data. The extent of the breach has raised concerns about the security of American telecommunications networks.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/us-agencies-brief-house-chinese-salt-typhoon-telecom-hacking-2024-12-09