Chinese-linked Salt Typhoon hackers targeted U.S. telecom giants AT&T and Verizon, both companies confirmed Saturday. Despite the breaches, both carriers assured their networks remain secure after working closely with law enforcement and government agencies, reports Reuters.
An AT&T spokesperson stated, “We detect no activity by nation-state actors in our networks at this time,” describing the attacks as limited to “a small number of individuals of foreign intelligence interest.” While some data compromises were identified, AT&T continues to enhance its defenses to protect customer information.
Verizon’s Chief Legal Officer echoed similar assurances, confirming no current threat actor presence in its systems. An independent cybersecurity audit verified Verizon’s successful remediation of Salt Typhoon’s infiltration.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) disclosed another telecom company compromised by Salt Typhoon, marking it the ninth confirmed victim. Hackers reportedly accessed extensive network capabilities, enabling geolocation tracking and call recording.
During a December 11 Senate hearing, Sen. Ben Ray Luján described Salt Typhoon as the “largest telecommunications hack in U.S. history.” Sen. Ted Cruz called for urgent action to address vulnerabilities in national communications systems.
CISA has since recommended senior government and political officials adopt encrypted mobile communications apps to prevent future espionage. The attacks reportedly targeted personnel connected to the presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, highlighting the incident’s political implications.
Chinese officials dismissed the allegations as disinformation. However, the scale and sophistication of Salt Typhoon underscore escalating vulnerabilities in U.S. telecommunications networks, raising concerns about long-term security for Americans.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
