Numerous Countries Targeted by ‘China’ Cyberattack – Americans Advised Against Texting | World News
A senior White House official has reported that a Chinese hacking campaign has impacted numerous nations.
This operation, conducted by a group known as Salt Typhoon, represents one of the most extensive intelligence breaches in U.S. history.
China managed to infiltrate at least eight major telecommunications firms in the United States, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, enabling officials in Beijing to access the private texts and calls of a significant number of Americans.
In response, U.S. officials have recommended that citizens utilize encrypted messaging applications to reduce the likelihood of Chinese interception of their communications.
However, senior White House official Anne Neuberger stated that authorities do not believe any classified communications have been compromised.
She remarked, “We do not think it’s every cell phone in the country, but we suspect it’s a potentially large number of individuals that were the focus of the Chinese government.”
Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, indicated that the enormity of the breach is such that it is “impossible” for authorities to estimate when full remediation would occur.
A different senior U.S. official refrained from disclosing specific details about the breach but noted that China’s access to American telecommunications networks could be extensive and that there remains a threat of “ongoing compromise”.
This official added that the White House has prioritized addressing the hack, and President Joe Biden has been briefed on multiple occasions regarding the intrusions.
On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed the allegations of its involvement in the hack.
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Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu stated, “The U.S. must cease its own cyberattacks on other nations and abstain from using cybersecurity as a means to defame and criticize China.”
Privacy advocates have long championed the use of end-to-end encrypted applications. Apps like Signal and WhatsApp automatically use end-to-end encryption for both calls and messages. Google Messages and iMessage also have the capability to encrypt calls and texts end-to-end.
According to an FBI official, the hackers were able to access three categories of information.
The first category involved call records detailing the numbers dialed and the timing of those calls, with a focus on records from around Washington DC.
The second category included live calls of specific targets, although the FBI did not disclose how many alerts were issued to those targets.
Moreover, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris disclosed to Sky’s U.S. affiliate NBC News that the FBI informed them they were targets of the hacking.
The third type of data accessed comprised systems that enable law enforcement and intelligence agencies to monitor individuals’ communications.
