A recent breach of U.S. telecommunications companies has been described recently as the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history – by far,” by the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Mark Warner.
This alarming statement comes in the wake of a massive cyber espionage campaign allegedly linked to China, which has compromised multiple telecommunications networks across the United States.
The breach, first reported earlier this month, involved China-linked hackers intercepting sensitive surveillance data intended for American law enforcement agencies.
According to a joint statement by the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on November 13, the hackers infiltrated networks of several telecom companies, stealing U.S. customer call records and communications from individuals primarily involved in government or political activities.
The Washington Post indicated that the scope of the attack appears to be far more extensive than initially acknowledged by the Biden administration. Senator Warner revealed that the hackers gained the ability to listen to telephone conversations and read text messages.
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He warned that “the barn door is still wide open, or mostly open,” indicating that the threat is ongoing.
The breach has raised significant concerns about the security of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.
Reports suggest that the hackers, identified as part of a group known as “Salt Typhoon,” may have maintained access to the compromised networks for months or longer.
This prolonged access allowed them to collect vast amounts of internet traffic from service providers serving millions of Americans and businesses of all sizes.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, there were reports that Chinese hackers targeted phones belonging to then-presidential and vice-presidential candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance, along with other senior political figures.
However, Senator Warner clarified that the intrusion was not directly election-related, as some breaches occurred over a year ago.
The U.S. government has classified this operation as an espionage campaign rather than a prelude to infrastructure sabotage.
Besides this, the scale and sophistication of the attack have alarmed officials, with Senator Warner stating that it makes previous major cyberattacks like Colonial Pipeline and SolarWinds “look like child’s play.”
As investigations continue, the FBI and CISA are rapidly sharing information to help potential victim organizations.
Meanwhile, Beijing has consistently denied involvement in such cyber operations, and the Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet responded to requests for comment on these allegations.
The evolving nature of cyber threats shows that there is urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures to protect critical national infrastructure.
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