Late last week, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) They were investigating “unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by persons associated with the People’s Republic of China.” at the same time, new york times Cellphones used by campaign staff for Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Kamala Harris were also targeted, but it was unclear what data the group had access to.
now, new york times have As for the scale of the hack, it is reportedly linked to a Chinese group known as “Salt Typhoon.” According to The Times, In addition to diplomats and other government officials, close associates of President Joe Biden and members of President Trump’s family were also targeted. But even more concerning is what the hackers were able to access. From the report:
FBI agents believe the hackers may have been able to access not only call records but also unencrypted SMS text messages on the targeted devices, according to a person familiar with the investigation. There is. They said there was also evidence that audio communications were recorded, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether that meant voicemails or phone conversations.
CISA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but made the announcement in a joint statement last week. It told the FBI that the investigation is “ongoing” and that affected businesses and other potential victims have been notified. According to the report, at least 10 companies were affected, including Verizon and AT&T. washington post. An AT&T spokesperson declined to comment. Verizon did not immediately respond to questions. times The company was “acknowledged that highly sophisticated nation-state actors were reportedly targeting several U.S. telecommunications providers for intelligence gathering purposes.”