At least 8 US companies hit in telecom attack spree, officials say

Salt Typhoon has compromised at least eight telecommunications providers or telecom infrastructure companies in the U.S., though there could be more, Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, said Wednesday during a media briefing.

The campaign to intrude telecom companies, affiliated with the Chinese government, has been underway for between one to two years and has affected a few dozen countries thus far, a senior administration official said.

Telecom networks are a high-priority target, “one that’s in the bull’s-eye of nation-state programs,” a senior administration official said. “We believe this one is for espionage, but potentially for disruption at a time of crisis or conflict as well.” 

White House officials held the media briefing a day after the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed Salt Typhoon stole a large amount of records, including metadata, from telecom providers.The threat group gained broad access to communications of everyday Americans and also targeted prominent individuals.

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