New ‘mass espionage’ report details China-linked phone hackers
New details continue to emerge about the hacking of US phone companies by a group linked to China against US officials and campaign staff. Now, The Wall Street Journal that the hackers’ reach was greater than previously reported, and that the communications of “potentially thousands of Americans” may have been affected.
Last week, The New York Times reported that FBI investigators suspect the phone logs and SMS messages were accessed by a hacking group, known as the “Salt Typhoon.” It is reported that this group has been targeting the calls of ambassadors and government officials, as well as people associated with both presidential campaigns.
Now, WSJ data reports that the hackers, “likely” working for a Chinese intelligence agency, spent “eight months or more” on America’s telecommunications infrastructure, and that they may have been able to collect information on thousands of people they were connected to. and target people.
The Journal confirms earlier reports that the hackers “limited their targets to a select few, with high political and national security value.” But the hackers, who reportedly exploited routers used by phone companies, “had the ability to access the phone data of nearly every American who is a customer of the affected carrier — a group that includes AT&T and Verizon.” Both AT&T and Verizon declined to comment for the report.
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