[US Officials Believe Chinese Hackers Breached at Least Eight US Telecommunications Providers
US officials believe that Chinese hackers breached at least eight US telecommunications providers in an effort to spy on top US political figures as part of a hacking campaign that has affected dozens of countries worldwide. The hacking campaign has rattled the US national security establishment and is poised to challenge the incoming Trump administration.
According to Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger, officials do not believe the hackers accessed classified information, but they have gone after the phone communications of senior US political figures, including President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, as well as senior members of the Biden administration. China has denied involvement.
US officials are still working to help major telecom providers evict Chinese government-backed hackers from their networks and do not have a timeline for when that will be done. The telecom companies that have worked the longest with federal officials are the furthest along in evicting the hackers.
The FBI began investigating the Chinese hacking activity in late spring or early summer this year and has determined that the hackers stole “a large amount” of bulk phone records that indicate where, when and who people were communicating with, but not the content of the calls or texts. For a “limited number” of people in the US government or involved in politics, the hackers were able to intercept call and text data. The hackers also “copied certain information that was subject to US law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders.”
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