The FBI confirms that Chinese hackers accessed devices and networks of U.S. government officials.

Recently, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint statement confirming an extensive cyber espionage campaign linked to the People's Republic of China. This attack has compromised numerous commercial telecommunications organizations in the United States. The intrusion, carried out by a group known as Salt Typhoon, has allowed them to access customer call records and communications of certain individuals within the U.S. government.

Moreover, reports have revealed that this group managed to infiltrate an interception system used by U.S. authorities to issue requests in accordance with court orders. In late September 2024, Salt Typhoon conducted reconnaissance scans on various internet service providers in the United States, which is believed to have helped them identify vulnerabilities for future attacks. Companies such as AT&T, Lumen Technologies, and Verizon were among those affected by this breach.

It appears that the issue is more widespread than initially thought, and it has been reported that the group may have had access for “months or longer.” This intrusion would have allowed them to collect internet traffic from providers serving numerous businesses and millions of Americans. Additionally, Salt Typhoon has directed its attacks towards organizations in Canada, covering significant segments of the government and various entities such as democratic institutions, critical infrastructure, the defense sector, media, think tanks, and NGOs.

The statement highlights that the FBI and CISA are providing technical assistance and swiftly sharing information to help other potential victims, in addition to working on strengthening cybersecurity defenses in the commercial communications sector. Organizations that believe they may have been affected are urged to contact their local FBI office or CISA for support.