AT&T, Verizon, Lumen face questions over Chinese hack

Lawmakers and regulators in Washington, DC, are raising alarms over a report that Chinese hackers were able to access systems inside the networks of US telecom operators including Verizon, AT&T and Lumen Technologies.

However, it’s not exactly clear what information Chinese spies might have been able to suck out of US telecom networks, nor whether those intrusions have been fully stoppered. Representatives from AT&T, Verizon and Lumen either declined to comment on the topic or did not respond to questions on the topic.

“We are concerned by the recent reports of a massive breach of AT&T, Verizon and Lumen’s communications networks by Chinese hackers,” wrote a bipartisan group of House Energy and Commerce Committee members in letters to the CEOs of each of the three big telecom operators. “These types of breaches are increasing in frequency and severity, and there is a growing concern regarding the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in US telecommunications networks.”

The letters ask a handful of questions including what information hackers may have obtained. The lawmakers requested a briefing on the topic and answers to their questions by Friday.

“The committee needs to understand better how this incident occurred and what steps your company is taking to prevent future service disruptions and secure your customers’ data,” the lawmakers wrote.

Legislators from the House Energy and Commerce Committee aren’t alone in raising concerns. The FCC has reportedly requested a briefing from national security officials on the hack, according to Nextgov. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden issued his own warning on the topic, taking aim at officials in the FCC and US Department of Justice for their past handling of some cybersecurity topics. And, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, the hack landed in President Biden’s daily brief last week.

Incredibly, according to the WSJ, hackers still had access to some parts of US broadband networks as late as last week.

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