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The White House said Friday that a ninth U.S. telecommunications company was hacked as part of a Chinese espionage campaign, giving U.S. officials access to Americans’ private text messages and phone conversations. did.
The Biden administration announced earlier this month that at least eight telecommunications companies and dozens of countries were affected by a Chinese hacking operation known as “Salt Typhoon.”
On Friday, Vice Presidential National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters that a ninth victim had been identified after the government released guidance for businesses on how to spot Chinese hackers in their networks. .
Officials said the hackers infiltrated the carrier’s network, collected customer call records and accessed the private communications of a limited number of people.
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Ann Neuberger, the Vice President’s National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington, March 21, 2022. (AP)
The FBI has not released the identities of the victims, but officials believe the victims whose communications were accessed include senior U.S. government officials and prominent politicians.
Neuberger said authorities still don’t know exactly how many Americans were targeted by Salt Typhoon in total, partly because the hackers were cautious in their tactics, but he said that officials still don’t know exactly how many Americans were targeted by Salt Typhoon in total. “Many” were in Washington, D.C., he said. And Virginia.
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Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies Ann Neuberger speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on February 17, 2021 in Washington. (Getty Images)
Officials believe the hackers were trying to determine the device’s owner and spy on their messages and calls if the device was “of government interest,” Neuberger said.
Most of the victims are “primarily involved in government or political activity,” the FBI said.
Neuberger said the hack demonstrates the need for necessary cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, which the Federal Communications Commission plans to consider at its meeting next month.
The U.S. and Chinese flags are raised before a meeting between U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Diaoyutai Guest House in Beijing, China, Saturday, July 8, 2023. (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS)
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She also said the government was planning further action in the coming weeks to counter the hacking campaign, although she did not provide details.
“We know that voluntary cybersecurity practices are insufficient to prevent China, Russia, and Iran from hacking our critical infrastructure,” he said.
The Chinese government denies responsibility for the hacking activity.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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