New report details ‘vast spying’ by China-linked telecom hackers

New details are continuing to surface about the hacking of US telecom companies by a China-linked group that US officials and campaign staffers. Now, The Wall Street Journal that the hackers’ access was even greater than what’s been previously reported, and that the communications of “potentially thousands of Americans” may have been impacted.

Last week, The New York Times reported that FBI investigators suspected call logs and SMS messages had been accessed by the hacking group, known as “Salt Typhoon.” The group reportedly targeted the phones of diplomats and government officials, as well as people associated with both presidential campaigns.

Now, The WSJ is reporting that the hackers, who were “likely” working for a Chinese intelligence agency, spent “eight months or more” in US telecom infrastructure, and that they may have been able to scoop up the data of thousands of people who were in contact with the targeted individuals.

The Journal confirms earlier reports that the hackers “limited their targets to several dozen select, high-value political and national-security figures.” But the hackers, who reportedly exploited routers used by telecom firms, had “the ability to access the phone data of virtually any American who is a customer of a compromised carrier — a group that includes AT&T and Verizon.” Both AT&T and Verizon declined to comment on the report.