China's Salt Typhoon recorded top American officials' calls, says White House

Chinese cyberspies, identified as part of the Salt Typhoon campaign, have reportedly recorded calls of "very senior" U.S. political figures, according to Anne Neuberger, the U.S. deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology. Speaking at the Manama Dialogue security conference, Neuberger emphasized that the operation was focused on high-level individuals for espionage purposes, although she did not disclose specific targets. The Salt Typhoon campaign has compromised eight U.S. telecom providers and affected organizations globally. Neuberger described it as a Chinese espionage initiative aimed at key government officials and corporate intellectual property. Recent briefings indicated that while a significant amount of metadata was stolen, only a limited number of private communications were accessed, primarily involving government or political activities. The campaign also compromised law enforcement wiretapping systems, although this was not its main focus. Neuberger's remarks come ahead of a U.S. Senate hearing on the risks posed by cyber intrusions into American telecom systems, where Salt Typhoon and related threats from China are expected to be key topics of discussion.

- Salt Typhoon campaign recorded calls of senior U.S. officials.

- Eight U.S. telecom providers were compromised in the espionage operation.

- The campaign targeted government officials and corporate intellectual property.

- Limited private communications were accessed, mainly related to political activities.

- A Senate hearing will address the risks of cyber intrusions in telecom systems.