Federal authorities are calling on carriers to use encrypted messaging apps to strengthen national security following China's unprecedented hacking campaign against more than half a dozen U.S. carriers.
The massive cyber attack campaign, dubbed “Salt Typhoon” by Microsoft, comes after authorities discovered that hackers had accessed the networks of various carriers and were also attempting to access the data of some customers. , first announced in October.
A senior FBI official told reporters on Tuesday that the culprits were able to steal “a large amount of records” containing information about when, where and with whom they communicated. The stolen records contained no audio or text content, officials added.
In a separate call Wednesday, Vice President for National Security Ann Neuberger acknowledged that at least eight U.S. carriers and dozens of countries have been affected by the hacking campaign.Associated Press reported.
To protect government agencies in the future, the FBI, National Security Agency (NSA), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) We have published a joint guide Tuesday aimed at protecting telecommunications companies from future hacks.
“Once we remove these actors, we have no illusions that they won't come back,” Jeff Green, executive assistant director of cybersecurity at CISA, told reporters.
As part of this guidance, Americans are being told to use encrypted messaging apps to avoid potential interference, Green added.
“What we're proposing, what we've been telling people internally is nothing new here: If you have the ability to use encrypted voice communications, whether it's text messaging, encryption is your “Even if an adversary could intercept the data, it would be impossible if the data was encrypted,” he said.
Some of the people targeted in the Salt Typhoon hack were involved in government and political activities, officials announced earlier this year.
President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance were also reportedly targeted, although authorities have not disclosed the exact number.
Officials confirmed Tuesday that remediation of the hacking operation is not yet complete and that the United States still does not know the full extent of the attacks linked to Chinese hackers. They focused on some of the targeted information related to law enforcement investigations and court orders.
According to the Associated Press, Neuberger told reporters on Wednesday that he believed the United States had not leaked any classified communications.
Asked about the comments, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington called the claims “disinformation” and accused the United States of spreading such claims for “its own geopolitical purposes.” .
“China resolutely opposes and combats all kinds of cyberattacks. The United States needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cybersecurity to defame or defame China. “There is,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement, criticizing “baseless speculation and criticism.” Accusation. ”
