U.S. Reveals Chinese Cyber Espionage Campaign Targeted Senior Political Figures
A sweeping Chinese cyber espionage operation known as Salt Typhoon allegedly targeted and recorded telephone calls of senior American political figures, a White House official revealed on Saturday. The revelation, made by Anne Neuberger, U.S. deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, at the Manama Dialogue regional security conference in Bahrain, sheds light on the campaign’s alarming scope.
According to Neuberger, while the hackers likely stole vast amounts of Americans’ metadata, their primary focus appeared to be on a narrower group of highly influential individuals.
āWe believe … the actual number of calls that they took, recorded, and retained was really more focused on very senior political individuals,ā Neuberger stated. She declined to disclose specific names of the targets or further details about the campaign.
Widening Impact of Salt Typhoon
Neuberger’s comments come amid ongoing investigations into the scale of the breach. A senior U.S. official disclosed that dozens of companies globally have been affected, including at least eight major telecommunications firms in the U.S. Hackers reportedly breached systems of Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Lumen, and other major telecom providers, stealing both call audio recordings and large volumes of call records.
High-Profile Targets and Chinese Denials
In October, The New York Times reported that members of U.S. President-elect Donald Trumpās family and Biden administration officials were among those targeted by China-linked hackers. Chinese officials, however, have denied the allegations, labeling them as disinformation.
āBeijing firmly opposes and combats cyberattacks and cyber theft in all forms,ā Chinese representatives have asserted in response to the claims.
Growing Cybersecurity Concerns
The campaign underscores the escalating threat posed by state-sponsored cyber espionage. Neuberger emphasized the U.S. is still working to uncover the full scope of Salt Typhoonās operations and its potential ramifications on national security.
This revelation highlights the critical need for strengthened cybersecurity measures as geopolitical tensions increasingly manifest in the digital realm.
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