Chinese hackers infiltrate U.S. telecom giants in major breach
Representatives of the U.S. administration reported that Chinese hackers from a team called Salt Typhoon have stolen metadata from many customers of major telecommunications companies. The breach is considered the largest attack on telecommunications companies in U.S. history and may still be ongoing.
A high-ranking U.S. official said during a press conference that Chinese hackers stole metadata concerning a "large number" of people.
"We do not believe it's every cell phone in the country, but we believe it's potentially a large number of individuals that the Chinese government was focused on," he said, as cited by Reuters.
He added that hackers from Salt Typhoon, associated with Chinese services, gained access to the systems of at least eight companies in the industry, including major mobile network operators.
Valuable material for cyber espionage operations
Metadata does not contain the content of conversations but includes information such as their duration, interlocutors' data, and location, which could be very valuable for a cyber espionage operation.
On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and agency and White House representatives arrived in Congress for a closed briefing on the matter for all senators.
News of the Salt Typhoon breach first surfaced in September, when the Wall Street Journal reported on it. According to American officials, the hackers may still be active and have access to systems. Just last week, Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss stated that this is the largest cyberattack on American telecommunications companies.
