Chinese Hackers Target U.S. Telecoms
Chinese state-affiliated hackers reportedly intercepted audio from phone calls of U.S. political figures, including an unnamed adviser to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to The Washington Post on Sunday. The hackers reportedly accessed unencrypted communications, such as text messages. This breach has raised concerns about the security of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, with both the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency investigating unauthorized access attributed to individuals connected to China.
Targets Include Trump, Harris Campaigns
Various reports indicate that both Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns were targeted, with figures associated with both Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris falling victim. The Trump campaign learned last week that both Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, were among the individuals whose phone numbers were targeted. The New York Times reported that the infiltration involved Verizon’s phone systems, raising questions about telecom security.
Earlier this year, the Trump campaign was targeted by a different cyberattack, with the U.S. Justice Department charging three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps with attempting to hack the campaign to disrupt the 2024 election.
Verizon And Congressional Response
Verizon confirmed it is cooperating with law enforcement to address what it described as a “sophisticated attempt” to infiltrate U.S. telecom networks. In response to increasing cybersecurity concerns, Congress has begun investigating Chinese hacking activities and recently asked major U.S. telecom providers, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, to clarify reports of breaches linked to Chinese hackers.
The Chinese embassy in Washington responded by stating it was unaware of this specific situation but reiterated that China opposes all forms of cyber attacks and cyber theft.
(with inputs from Reuters)
