In a recent revelation, AT&T and Verizon confirmed they were targeted by the Salt Typhoon cyberespionage operation, allegedly linked to Chinese hackers. However, both companies assured that their U.S. networks are currently secure as they collaborate with law enforcement and government officials to address the situation.
An AT&T spokesperson stated, “We detect no activity by nation-state actors in our networks at this time.” The investigation revealed that the People’s Republic of China aimed at a small number of individuals deemed of foreign intelligence interest. Although only a few cases of compromised information were identified, AT&T is actively monitoring its networks to protect customer data and is working closely with authorities to assess and mitigate any potential threats.
Verizon also provided an update, with their Chief Legal Officer confirming, “We have not detected threat actor activity in Verizon’s network for some time, and after considerable work addressing this incident, we can report that Verizon has contained the activities associated with this particular incident.” An independent cybersecurity firm has validated Verizon’s containment efforts.
On Friday, U.S. officials identified an additional unnamed telecom company that had been compromised by the Salt Typhoon hackers. Reports indicate that these attackers gained extensive access to networks, allowing them to “geolocate millions of individuals” and “record phone calls at will.”
The U.S. Department of Defense and the Federal Communications Commission did not respond to inquiries regarding the statements made by AT&T and Verizon. China’s foreign ministry has previously rejected these allegations as disinformation, asserting that Beijing opposes all forms of cyberattacks and cyber theft.
Previously, officials alleged that hackers targeted major telecom companies, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen, stealing telephone audio intercepts and extensive call record data. In light of these cyberattacks, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency urged political figures to transition mobile communications to end-to-end encrypted applications.
Notably, the Salt Typhoon operation has reportedly targeted officials associated with both Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns. Senator Ben Ray Lujan described the operation as the “largest telecommunications hack in our nation’s history,” while Texas Senator Ted Cruz emphasized the need to “plug any vulnerabilities in communications networks.”
The growing concerns surrounding the scale of reported Chinese hacking into U.S. telecommunications networks have raised questions about when companies and government entities will provide assurances to Americans regarding their cybersecurity measures.