New Report Exposes Massive Spying by Hackers Linked to China

Reports indicate that hackers may have accessed the communications of thousands of Americans.

Fresh Revelations in American Telecom Hacking

New details have surfaced about the hacking of U.S. telecom firms by a group linked to China. According to The Wall Street Journal, the breach was far more extensive than initially reported, potentially impacting thousands of Americans.

Hacking Operation Larger Than Anticipated

The scope of the hacking operation is turning out to be larger than previously believed. The New York Times reports that FBI investigators found indications that call logs and SMS messages were accessed by the group known as “Salt Typhoon.”

This group reportedly targeted the phones of diplomats and officials, as well as individuals linked to both presidential campaigns.

Hackers’ Infiltration into American Telecom Infrastructure

The WSJ now reports that these hackers, likely linked to a Chinese intelligence agency, spent “eight months or more” embedded within U.S. telecom infrastructure. This allowed them to gather data from thousands of individuals connected to their targets.

Hackers Accessed Vast Amounts of Data

The Journal confirms earlier reports that the hackers “limited their targets to a dozen high-profile political figures and national security personalities.” However, by exploiting routers used by telecom firms, they had “the capability to access the phone data of virtually all Americans who are customers of a compromised carrier.”

Among these carriers are AT&T and Verizon, both of which have declined to comment on this report.