China Wiretaps Americans in 'Worst Hack in Our Nation's History'
Chinese hackers, known as Salt Typhoon, infiltrated U.S. telecom infrastructure, wiretapping citizens. Senator Warner calls it the worst telecom hack, affecting major carriers and potentially millions of individuals.
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Chinese hackers, identified as Salt Typhoon, have reportedly infiltrated U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, leading to significant security concerns. This breach allows them to wiretap American citizens, listening to phone calls and reading text messages, by exploiting the same systems used by U.S. authorities for legal wiretaps. Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has labeled this incident as "the worst telecom hack in our nation’s history." Although the hackers could not access encrypted communications, they managed to gather metadata, including call durations and locations, which poses a serious threat to national security. The breach affects major U.S. carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, and the hackers are still believed to be present within the systems. Warner emphasized the vulnerability of the U.S. telecommunications network, which consists of outdated and unpatchable equipment. The FBI is currently in contact with fewer than 150 identified individuals whose communications were monitored, primarily in the Washington D.C. area. The full extent of the breach remains unclear, with estimates suggesting that the number of impacted individuals could reach millions. As the situation unfolds, it presents a pressing challenge for the incoming administration, particularly regarding cybersecurity and national security priorities.
- Chinese hackers have deeply penetrated U.S. telecom infrastructure, wiretapping citizens.
- Senator Mark Warner calls it "the worst telecom hack in our nation’s history."
- The breach affects major carriers and could impact millions of individuals.
- Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in outdated telecommunications equipment.
- The FBI is in contact with fewer than 150 identified targets of the breach.
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5 commentsThere is no such thing as a single purpose, single user backdoor, which is why people have been trying to defend end-to-end encryption. Even if the intention is that the backdoor is meant to be used by 'the good guys' for 'law enforcement', the backdoor is an intentional weakening of the system than anyone can try to access.
Blame the hackers if you want, but the policy of forcing backdoors in comms systems by the U.S. government was the first (and main) problem.
PRC Targeting of Commercial Telecommunications Infrastructure
"The hackers behind the infiltration of U.S. telecom infrastructure are known to Western intelligence agencies as Salt Typhoon, and this particular breach of U.S. equipment was first reported in early October by the Wall Street Journal. But Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, spoke with the Washington Post and New York Times this week to warn the public that this is so much worse than we initially thought, dubbing it “the worst telecom hack in our nation’s history.” And those articles based on Warner’s warnings were published late Thursday."
WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/u-s-wiretap-systems-t...
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Chinese hackers access US telecom firms, worrying national security officials
Chinese government-linked hackers infiltrated U.S. telecom firms, accessing sensitive information. The Chinese Embassy denies allegations, while U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts investigate the skilled hacking group, Salt Typhoon.
Reports: China hacked Verizon and AT&T, may have accessed US wiretap systems
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Chinese hackers, known as Salt Typhoon, infiltrated U.S. telecom infrastructure, wiretapping citizens and affecting major carriers. Senator Warner calls it a severe breach, necessitating urgent security measures and equipment replacement.
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