What's happened
U.S. officials confirmed that the Salt Typhoon hacking group has infiltrated major telecom networks, including AT&T and Verizon. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is working with affected companies to remove the hackers, who are believed to be linked to Chinese espionage efforts targeting U.S. officials and sensitive communications.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to Axios, U.S. officials confirmed that Salt Typhoon hackers still have access to critical infrastructure, stating, 'they're proving difficult to kick out.' The FBI and CISA have released guidance for telecom networks to bolster their defenses against these state-sponsored hackers. Meanwhile, TechCrunch reported that T-Mobile successfully thwarted an intrusion attempt, with their chief security officer noting, 'We quickly severed connectivity to the provider’s network.' This highlights the ongoing struggle within the telecommunications industry to secure their networks against sophisticated threats.
How we got here
Reports of the Salt Typhoon hacking group emerged in October, with indications that they gained access to U.S. telecom networks. The group is suspected of attempting to spy on U.S. officials, including presidential candidates, raising significant national security concerns.
More on these topics
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The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency was established on 16 November 2018 when President Donald Trump signed into law the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act of 2018.
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Salt Typhoon (also known as GhostEmperor, FamousSparrow, King of world, or UNC2286) is an advanced persistent threat actor that is reported to be operated by the Chinese government to conduct cyberespionage campaigns against targets in North America and..
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China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019.
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T-Mobile is the brand name used by the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG. The brand is active in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United States. In 2020 the company merged w
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency.