The White House has confirmed that at least eight US telecom firms and dozens of nations have been targeted in a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger revealed the details during a call with reporters on Wednesday. The hackers gained access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, but no classified communications were compromised.
The US believes that senior government officials and prominent political figures are among those targeted. However, only a small number of Americans’ phone calls and texts have been affected due to the nature of the hack. Neuberger warned that impacted companies have not fully removed the Chinese actors from their networks, leaving a risk of ongoing compromises.
The hacking campaign, dubbed “Salt Typhoon,” is believed to have started at least a year or two ago. The White House has issued guidance for telecom companies to improve cybersecurity, urging encryption, centralization, and consistent monitoring. Experts believe that implementing these precautions could help disrupt the operation and make it harder for China or other nations to mount similar attacks in the future.
The US government is taking steps to address the issue, with President Joe Biden briefed on the findings. The Chinese embassy in Washington has rejected the accusations, but warned the US to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/china-hack-us-telecoms-salt-typhoon-88cabc592dae2fa870772c5ce4ace5ea