Washington: A cyber attack linked to China has prompted the FBI to launch an investigation into potential hacking activities, following reports that the phones of Donald Trump and JD Vance may have been compromised.
The attack reportedly targeted cell phones used by the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate and also people affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign were also targeted.
A joint statement from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) indicated that the U.S. government is investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by entities connected to the People’s Republic of China.
The Agencies said that, after the “malicious activity” was identified, the agencies “immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” adding that the investigation was ongoing.
They added that, “Agencies across the US government are collaborating to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector.”
The Trump campaign blamed Democrats for the hack, claiming without evidence that it was an attempt “to prevent President Trump from returning to the White House.”
Law enforcement is currently treating the hack as an act of espionage, not as an attempt at campaign influence.
Earlier this month it emerged that US telecommunications companies had been targeted in a hack.
One of the companies affected is said to be Verizon, through which the hackers are thought to have potentially targeted Trump and Vance’s data.
The Trump campaign has already been the target of one hack earlier this year.
High Alert
U.S. officials remain on high alert for foreign interference as reports emerge that high-profile political candidates and their campaigns have been targeted.
Earlier this year, the Trump campaign was hacked, leading to charges against three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps for attempting to disrupt the upcoming election.
In contrast, U.S. intelligence suggests that China is adopting a neutral stance in the presidential race, focusing instead on local elections and targeting candidates based on their positions on issues significant to Beijing, like Taiwan support.
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