China used three private companies to hack global telecoms
13 days ago
- #cybersecurity
- #espionage
- #China-US relations
- Three private Chinese companies aided China in a major hacking operation called Salt Typhoon.
- The operation hacked global telecom companies, including AT&T and Verizon, accessing text and phone communications.
- Over 200 companies across 80 countries were hacked, with targets including government, military, and infrastructure networks.
- The companies involved are Beijing Huanyu Tianqiong Information Technology, Sichuan Zhixin Ruijie Network Technology, and Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology.
- The U.S. and allied governments released a 37-page report detailing the campaign, which has been ongoing since 2021.
- Salt Typhoon also breached a U.S. state's National Guard network undetected for nearly a year.
- China denies involvement in overseas hacking, accusing the U.S. and allies of similar actions.
- The operation allowed tracking of millions of people's locations and communications.
- AT&T and Verizon have removed hackers but remain vulnerable to future breaches.