Salt typhoon attacks spark major telecom security crisis
Chinese hackers from a group known as Salt Typhoon have stolen metadata from numerous customers of major telecommunications companies, representatives of the US administration reported. The breach is considered the largest attack on telecommunications companies in US history and might still be ongoing.
Chinese hackers stole metadata concerning a "large number" of individuals, a senior US official conveyed during a press teleconference.
"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, linked with Chinese services, accessed the systems of at least eight companies in the sector, including major mobile network operators.
Valuable material for cyber espionage operations
Metadata does not contain the content of conversations but includes details such as their duration, the identities of the interlocutors, and their location, which could be highly valuable for cyber espionage operations.
On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, along with agency and White House representatives, attended Congress for a closed briefing on the matter for all senators.
News of the Salt Typhoon breach first emerged back in September, when it was reported by the "Wall Street Journal". According to American officials, the hackers might still be active and have system access. Just last week, Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss stated that this is the largest cyberattack on American telecommunications companies.
