FBI confirms Chinese hackers accessed US government official devices, networks

News
By
published

Chinese state-sponsored groups compromised US devices and networks

Flag of the People's Republic of China overlaid with a technological network of wires and circuits.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
  • FBI and CISA confirm networks have been compromised by Salt Typhoon
  • Devices and networks used by government individuals also hit
  • The group also successfully breached a network used by US authorities

A joint statement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has confirmed “broad and significant cyber espionage campaign” with links to the People’s Republic of China successfully breached numerous commercial telecommunications organizations.

The infiltration of these communications networks, believed to be the group tracked as Salt Typhoon, has allowed the threat actors to gain access to customer call records data as well as the private communications of a limited number of individuals within the US government.

The joint statement has also confirmed the group managed to successfully infiltrate a US wiretap system used by authorities to submit requests pursuant to court orders.

ISPs and telecoms compromised by Salt Typhoon

In late September 2024, Salt Typhoon targeted several US internet service providers in a reconnaissance scan that is believed to assist in vulnerability hunting for potential use in later attacks. In early October 2024, it was also reported the compromise affected a number of telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Lumen Technologies, and Verizon.

Now, it appears that the issue is more widespread than first thought, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that the group may have had access “for months or longer,” citing people familiar with the matter.

This access may have allowed them to harvest “internet traffic from internet service providers that count businesses large and small, and millions of Americans, as their customers.”

Salt Typhoon has also been targeting Canadian organizations, with wide sections of the government also subjected to reconnaissance scans, as well as “dozens of organizations, including democratic institutions, critical infrastructure, the defence sector, media organizations, think tanks and NGOs,” the Government of Canada said in a statement.

“The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) continue to render technical assistance, rapidly share information to assist other potential victims, and work to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector,” the joint statement concluded. “We encourage any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI field office or CISA.”

You might also like

Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Staff Writer (Security)

Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division),  then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.