The alleged Chinese cyberattacks that even targeted Trump's phone
Mike Wendling
Office, BBC News
January, 02, 2025
US officials say hackers targeting major US communications companies and institutions are linked to the Chinese government.
The US Treasury Department has been targeted in the latest hacking incident, which US officials are calling a ‘major incident’.
Officials say hackers were able to access employee workstations and important documents, but China has denied involvement.
The latest cyberattacks against the US and other Western countries have come in recent months.
What was hacked in these cyberattacks?
Two major US presidential campaigns were targeted in October after the hacking incident at the US Treasury Department.
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) say the actors targeting the White House campaigns are linked to the ‘People’s Republic of China’.
In September, there were also reports of a formal operation against the security of major telecommunications companies.
The White House has said in recent days that at least nine companies were hacked, including telecom giants AT&T and Verizon.
In March last year, seven Chinese nationals were indicted for running a hacking operation against foreign critics of China, businesses and politicians for at least 14 years.
The hacking operation, which Western countries associate with China, also targeted the British Electoral Commission, as well as the parliaments of the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Who are hackers?
Although full details about the hackers have not yet been released, US officials say that the hacking was carried out by separate groups, all of whom are from China.
These hacking groups are known by different aliases by security agencies. The group that was involved in hacking telecom companies is called ‘Salt Typhoon’. Microsoft researchers gave these hackers this name.
Other companies have called these hackers ‘Famous Sphero’, ‘Ghost Emperor’ and ‘Earthstar’.
‘Salt Typhoon’ is believed to be involved in hacking telecommunications companies. In addition, a separate group is known as ‘Volt Typhoon’, which targets critical infrastructure of organizations with its potential attacks to disrupt the system.
The Chinese nationals who were indicted in connection with the hacking were identified by the US Department of Justice as being linked to the ‘Zirconium’ or ‘Judgement Panda’ operation.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre says that these operations also targeted the emails of British members of parliament in 2021.
What was stolen in the hacking?
The latest hacking incident apparently targeted powerful figures in order to collect data from them and give it to the Chinese government.
Among other figures, they also targeted the phones of US President-elect Donald Trump, US Vice President-elect JD Vance and people who were working on the campaign of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
The hackers also accessed a database of phone numbers related to wiretaps by law enforcement agencies, which can also be used to identify which foreign spies are being monitored.
By targeting telecom companies, the hackers may have stolen data on millions of American citizens.
“China has been trying to target different targets,” says Richard Forno, assistant director of the Baltimore County Cybersecurity Institute at the University of Maryland.
According to him, the information obtained so far is very general.
How worried are US officials?
Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern about the attacks. Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Salt Typhoon’s activities “the worst in the history of telecom hacking.”
Trump has nominated Brendan Kerr to head the Federal Communications Commission. He said an intelligence briefing on the hacking was “very concerning.”
“After hearing the information I’ve heard, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should just break my phone,” he told CNBC.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said that “Salt Typhoon’s hacking of telecom companies is the largest cyber espionage campaign in history by China.”
He had previously said that China’s hacking program is larger than the combined systems of other countries.
How do Western allies view the issue?
US officials have warned China Telecom Americas, a subsidiary of a major Chinese telecommunications company, that it poses a threat to US security.
The company has been given 30 days to respond to the allegations or face sanctions.
In May, the UK imposed sanctions on two individuals and Wuhan Shiruzhi Science and Technology Co. Ltd., saying they were linked to the China-linked group Judgment Panda.
Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, has made it clear before taking office that foreign hackers will pay a heavy price for their actions.
Richard Forno of the UMBC Cybersecurity Institute says the hacking may have been going on for years.
According to him, China takes a very traditional and strategic approach to its espionage and intelligence operations, while the US, on the contrary, takes the path of immediate response and is interested in immediate and clear results.
What is China's position on this?
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said in a news briefing that these allegations are completely baseless.
He said that China is against all kinds of hacking and China strongly denies these allegations, which are aimed at targeting Beijing for political purposes.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy said that "the US needs to stop the hate campaign against China in the name of cybersecurity and the US must stop spreading all kinds of disinformation about the so-called hacking threats related to China."
Related topics
#Computer_security #Cyber_attack #China #Cyber_crime #US
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