The Chinese hackers compromised the networks of ’multiple telecommunications companies,’ federal investigators said.
Chinese state-sponsored hackers have breached several U.S. telecommunication providers, in a cyber campaign aimed at stealing data from individuals working in government and politics, according to federal investigators.
In a joint statement issued on Nov. 13, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) described the Chinese hacking campaign as “broad and significant cyber espionage.”
The Chinese hackers compromised the networks of “multiple telecommunications companies” and stole customer call records and private communications from “a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity,” the agencies said, without identifying any of the individuals.
The Chinese hackers also copied “certain information that was subject to U.S. law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders,” the agencies stated, suggesting that the Chinese breach may have targeted programs covered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The agencies noted that they are working to “strengthen cyber defenses” across the commercial communications sector.
“We expect our understanding of these compromises to grow as the investigation continues,” the agencies stated.
The FBI and CISA first acknowledged the Chinese hacks in October, saying at the time that an investigation was underway.
In recent months, authorities have disclosed the activities of two Chinese state-sponsored cyber threat groups.
In September, the Justice Department announced that the FBI had taken down a botnet associated with “Flax Typhoon,” a threat group operating through the Beijing-based Integrity Technology Group. The botnet consisted of more than 200,000 consumer devices—such as network cameras, video recorders, and home and office routers—in the United States and elsewhere.
Earlier this month, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told The Epoch Times that a Chinese threat group called “Salt Typhoon” had conducted a hack “unprecedented” in size and scope, following media reports about the group’s cyberattack in October.
Salt Typhoon is believed to have breached numerous major telecommunication networks, including those of AT&T, CenturyLink, and Verizon. The group also targeted former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
By Frank Fang
