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Recently, U.S. officials revealed that hackers affiliated with China infiltrated the country’s commercial telecommunications infrastructure, reportedly accessing sensitive phone records belonging to prominent political figures, including former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, and potentially staff members for Vice President Kamala Harris. With the presidential election just around the corner, this revelation raises serious concerns about national security and election integrity.
The New York Times reported that this cyber intrusion is part of a broader intelligence-collection effort to target the communications of the candidates. According to a joint statement from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the government is actively investigating this unauthorized access to telecommunications systems, when the hackers apparently gained entry into Verizon’s phone networks.
Cybersecurity experts have identified the threat actor as Salt Typhoon, an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group believed to be sponsored by the Chinese government. This group has been linked to previous breaches of major U.S. internet service providers (ISPs), including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies, according to a repord by the Wall Street Journal. Salt Typhoon has been operating since at least 2020, often utilizing advanced techniques to evade detection.
Reports suggest that the hackers may have exposed sensitive information, such as text exchanges, caller IDs, and the duration and frequency of communications among those targeted. Security officials expressed grave concerns regarding the potential scale of the data breach and the range of possible victims affected.
On October 18, the Republican Homeland Security Committee requested a briefing to discuss the implications of these attacks in a letter addressed to CISA director Jen Easterly, emphasizing that such intrusions could allow the Chinese government to influence communications or access sensitive information through wiretapping. The letter underlined the threat to Americans’ privacy and national security posed by such unauthorized access.
In response to the breach, the FBI and CISA have mobilized efforts to mitigate the situation. They have promptly informed affected telecom companies and are collaborating with industry partners to enhance cyber defenses across the sector.
As investigations continue, it remains unclear what specific information may have been accessed from Trump and Vance’s records. Verizon has acknowledged the sophisticated nature of the attack and stated that it is cooperating with law enforcement in the ongoing inquiry.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington denied any intention to interfere in U.S. elections, asserting that such matters are domestic affairs.
As this situation develops, the implications for U.S. national security and the integrity of the upcoming election cannot be understated.
