Late final week, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company (CISA) they had been investigating “the unauthorized entry to business telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the Folks’s Republic of China.” On the identical time, The New York Occasions that telephones utilized by Donald Trump, JD Vance and Kamala Harris’ marketing campaign employees had been among the many targets, although it was unclear what information the group might have been in a position to entry.
Now, The New York Occasions has concerning the extent of the hack, which is reportedly linked to a Chinese language group often known as “Salt Hurricane.” In line with The Occasions, aides to President Joe Biden, in addition to Trump’s relations had been additionally focused, along with diplomats and different authorities officers. Much more regarding, although, is what the hackers might have been in a position to entry. From the report:
F.B.I. investigators suppose the hackers might have been in a position to entry unencrypted SMS textual content messages on the focused gadgets, in addition to name logs, in keeping with folks acquainted with the investigation. They mentioned there was additionally proof indicating that audio communications had been captured, although it was not instantly clear whether or not that meant voice mail or telephone name conversations.
CISA didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark The company mentioned final week in a joint with the FBI that the investigation was “ongoing” and that the affected firms and different potential victims had been notified. At the very least 10 firms, together with Verizon and AT&T, had been impacted, in keeping with The Washington Publish. A spokesperson for AT&T declined to remark. Verizon didn’t instantly reply to questions, however The Occasions the corporate was “conscious {that a} extremely subtle nation-state actor has reportedly focused a number of U.S. telecommunications suppliers to collect intelligence.”
