T -Mobile has confirmed that it was breached by Chinese hackers who recently targeted the US telecommunications sector to gain access to private communications, call records and enforcement law
“T-Mobile is closely monitoring this industry-wide attack. T-Mobile systems and data have not been significantly impacted , and we have no evidence of any impact to customer information,” T-Mobile told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the breach.
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“We will continue to closely monitor the situation, working with industry companies and the relevant authorities“.
"Due to security controls, network structure, and diligent monitoring and response, we have not seen any significant impact to T-Mobile systems or data," T-Mobile told BleepingComputer.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese hackers Salt Typhoon had breached several telecommunications companies US, including AT&T, Verizon and Lumen.
Salt Typhoon is a sophisticated state-sponsored 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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However, recent attacks by Chinese hackers on US telecommunications companies (including T-Mobile) led to the breach of private communications of senior officials throughout the US government.
The FBI and CISA said the US government confirmed that the attackers stole call data, communications and information related to law enforcement requests submitted to telecommunications companies.
“ Specifically, we have identified that DPRK-linked actors have compromised the networks of multiple telecommunications companies to enable the theft of customer call record, the interception of private communications of a limited number of individuals primarily involved in government or political activity, and the copying of certain information subject to U.S. law enforcement requests data ,” the joint statement said
These attacks were allegedly carried out through vulnerabilities in Cisco routers. However, Cisco stated that there was no evidence that its equipment was compromised during these attacks.
It is worth noting that this is the ninth breach that T-Mobile has suffered since 2019.
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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.
In response to this growing threat, governments around the world are being urged to implement regulations and guidelines to strengthen cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
