At least three telecommunications companies were hacked by Chinese hackers, and the White House established an emergency response team
The Washington Post reported on November 11 that the Biden administration has established an interagency emergency response team this week to combat increasingly severe cyberattacks by China targeting American telecommunications companies, with a focus on intelligence gathering. At least three well-known companies have already been breached: AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies.
So far, federal officials, affected companies, and cybersecurity firms involved in investigating the incidents have been unable to determine the initial point of entry for the hackers into the telecommunications systems. Sources indicate that the uncertainty regarding the breach location has complicated efforts to expel the hackers. It’s estimated that between 10 to 12 companies may be affected, but it’s unclear whether they are all American enterprises or if some are subsidiaries.
On November 8, the White House convened deputy heads from key departments to form a “Joint Coordination Team.” This group’s mission is to ensure smooth communication among the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA) in responding to the cyber intrusions.
Similar interagency response teams had been established following notable breaches, such as the SolarWinds incident involving Russian hackers that affected nine federal agencies, and the attack on Microsoft Exchange servers by Chinese hackers earlier this year.
The report indicates that the recent intrusion by a hacker group known as “Salt Typhoon” was discovered by Microsoft last month. U.S. officials privately suggest that intelligence points to a connection between “Salt Typhoon” and the Chinese Ministry of State Security.
A U.S. official told The Washington Post last week that there are indications that the system used by the federal government to log surveillance requests directed at telecommunications companies was targeted by the hackers, although investigators do not have conclusive evidence proving that the system was breached.
On November 10, senior members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party reached out via letter to the CEOs of AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, requesting closed-door briefings on the hacking incidents. They asked the executives to explain when they first became aware of the breaches and what measures they have taken to protect their surveillance systems from such attacks.
Congressional members are increasingly concerned that this cyber intrusion could represent a significant failure in counterintelligence efforts, fearing that the hackers may have gained access to sensitive information that the federal government has worked diligently to monitor and manage, including actions taken by the FBI.
