A recent Wall Street Journal report reveals that a cyberattack linked to the Chinese government infiltrated the networks of several U.S. wireless providers, including AT&T, Lumen Technologies, and Verizon. These networks handle court-approved wiretapping requests for the U.S. government, making the breach a national security concern.
The attack, attributed to the Chinese hacking group "Salt Typhoon," focused on gathering intelligence and also compromised general internet traffic. The surveillance system targeted is used for domestic wiretaps related to criminal and national security investigations. Investigations are ongoing, with federal authorities and private security firms involved.
The breach impacted internet service providers in the U.S. and possibly foreign ISPs as well. Experts describe the attack as "historically significant," and a potential escalation of China's cyber capabilities aimed at U.S. infrastructure, including power stations and water treatment plants.
Microsoft, which has been tracking Salt Typhoon since 2020, is also investigating to determine if any sensitive information was stolen. In August, U.S. officials dismantled a network of over 200,000 devices used by a Chinese hacking group to penetrate U.S. networks, underscoring the seriousness of the threat.
Source: PhoneArena
