Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The White House said Friday that a ninth U.S. telecommunications company has been hacked as part of a Chinese espionage campaign that gave the country’s officials access to private text messages and phone conversations of Americans.
The Biden administration said earlier this month that at least eight telecommunications companies and dozens of nations had been affected by the Chinese hacking operation known as Salt Typhoon.
Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters on Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration issued guidance to companies on how to track down Chinese hackers on their networks.
Hackers compromised telecom company networks to collect customer call logs and access the private communications of a limited number of people, officials said.
CHINA WARNS US TO STOP ARMING TAIWAN AFTER BIDEN APPROVES $571M IN MILITARY AID
Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, speaks during a press conference at the White House, March 21, 2022, in Washington. (AP)
The FBI It has not publicly identified any of the victims, but officials believe senior US government officials and prominent political figures are among the victims whose communications were accessed.
Neuberger said officials still did not have an accurate idea of how many Americans overall were targeted by Salt Typhoon, in part because hackers were wary of their methods, but he said a “large number” of the victims was located in Washington, DC. and Virginia.
TRUMP SAYS TIKTOK’S FATE SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on Feb. 17, 2021, in Washington. (Getty Images)
Officials said they believe the hackers wanted to identify who owned the devices and spy on their text messages and phone calls if they were “targets of government interest,” Neuberger said.
Most of the victims are “primarily involved in government or political activities,” the FBI said.
Neuberger said the hack showed the need for what was required cyber security practices to the telecommunications industry, which the Federal Communications Commission will consider during a meeting next month.
The flags of the United States and China are flown before a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Saturday, July 8, 2023. (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He also said, without providing details, that the government planned more actions in the coming weeks in response to the hacking campaign, although he did not say what they would be.
“We know that voluntary cybersecurity practices are inadequate to protect against Chinese, Russian and Iranian hacking of our critical infrastructure,” he said.
The chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking campaign.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
