Washington DC: A major cyber-espionage campaign attributed to the Chinese hackers group “Salt Typhoon” has stolen metadata from telecom companies worldwide, including at least eight US providers.
The campaign, which targeted senior US government officials and political figures, has raised concerns about the scale and scope of the breach.
US officials confirmed that while no classified communications were compromised, the stolen metadata—such as call records—could expose sensitive details about individuals’ personal lives, relationships, and work.
Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger revealed that the hackers infiltrated telecom infrastructure in multiple countries, gaining access to large volumes of communications data.
The breach, which follows previous Chinese hacking incidents, has fuelled tensions between the US and China. In response, the Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed the accusations, condemning the US for using cybersecurity to “smear and slander” China.
This breach is part of a broader pattern of Chinese cyber activity targeting US political figures, including a 2024 attack on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance. US telecom companies such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have been victims of similar attacks in the past.
Although T-Mobile and Lumen denied any customer data exposure, the ongoing threat has prompted a Senate Commerce Subcommittee to schedule a hearing on December 11 to address security risks to communications networks.
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