Salt Typhoon
A cyber espionage campaign, “Salt Typhoon,” has revealed vulnerabilities in U.S. telecommunications companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies. Hackers accessed call metadata, live phone calls, and sensitive systems used for court-ordered tracking. The breach focused on Washington, D.C., targets.
Americans' metadata was taken
One senior U.S. official stated, “We believe a large number of Americans’ metadata was taken.”
Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Frank Pallone, Bob Latta, and Doris Matsui jointly stated, “There is a growing concern regarding the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in U.S. telecommunications networks.”
WhatsApp
Officials advised Americans to use encrypted apps like Signal or WhatsApp and keeping devices updated to protect communications from being intercepted by foreign hackers.
Chinese government was focused on
The senior official stated, “We do not believe it’s every cell phone in the country, but we believe it’s potentially a large number of individuals that the Chinese government was focused on.”
Encryption is your friend
Jeff Greene of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, stated, “Our suggestion, what we have told folks internally, is not new here: encryption is your friend, whether it’s on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication.”
It will make it impossible
Greene added, “Even if the adversary is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible.”
The breach was attributed to China
The breach was attributed to China and classified as traditional espionage, not election interference. The full scope of the compromise remains under investigation.
Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Ron Wyden said, “Whether it’s AT&T, Verizon, or Microsoft and Google, when those companies are inevitably hacked, China and other adversaries can steal those communications.”