CISA and the FBI have confirmed that Chinese hackers breached the "private communications" of a "limited number" of US government officials, following the breach of several telecommunications companies .
The agencies say the hackers were able to steal other information from the companies' compromised systems, such as customer call records and requests from law enforcement.
See also: Chinese hackers target Tibetan organizations with Malware
"Specifically, we identified that actors associated with the People's Republic of China (PRC) have breached the networks of multiple telecommunications companies to steal data related to customer calls," the two agencies said.
The perpetrators primarily targeted private communications of individuals involved in government or political activity and stole “certain information that was subject to requests by U.S. law enforcement authorities, pursuant to court orders.”
In late October, both CISA and the FBI warned of breaches of telecommunications companies by Chinese hackers Salt Typhoon(also known as Earth Estries, FamousSparrow, Ghost Emperor, and UNC2286). Some of the companies affected included AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies.
See also: Chinese hackers Volt Typhoon “rebuild” the KV-Botnet
Chinese hackers had access to telecom companies for months
While it is unknown when the telecommunications networks were first breached, some say that Chinese hackers had access “for months or more,” which allowed them to collect huge amounts of “internet traffic from Internet service providers that serve large and small businesses and millions of American citizens.”
The telecommunications sector is an essential component of modern society, providing critical services such as communication, commerce and emergency response. As a result, it is increasingly targeted by malicious actors. Chinese hackers use various methods to penetrate sensitive systems and gain access to valuable data.
See also: Chinese hackers MirrorFace target European diplomats
In response to this growing threat landscape, governments around the world are being urged to implement regulations and guidelines to strengthen cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry.
Canada also revealed last month that Chinese hackers targeted multiple Canadian government agencies , including federal political parties, the Senate and the House of Commons.
"They also targeted dozens of organizations, including democratic institutions, critical infrastructure, defense organizations, media companies, think tanks and NGOs," the Canadian government said.
Salt Typhoon is a sophisticated hacking group that has been active since at least 2019 and typically focuses on breaching government agencies and telecommunications companies in Southeast Asia.
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Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
