Chinese hackers targeted Trump family, Biden-Harris aides: Report
What's the story
A recent report has revealed a major breach of US telecommunications systems by hackers allegedly associated with China.
The targets of this cyberattack included prominent personalities from the Trump family: Eric Trump and Jared Kushner, as well as officials from State Department, and aides to Harris-Biden administration.
The New York Times disclosed this on Tuesday. In response to the news, Eric Trump told the outlet, "Does this surprise anyone? Under Kamala and Biden, China has walked all over our country."
Information access
Extent of data breach remains uncertain
The full scale of the data breach is still unclear as investigators are still looking into the matter.
There is no clear indication as of yet about how much information was compromised in this cyberattack.
The investigation is mainly focused on whether any communications data was accessed or monitored through this sophisticated telecom systems breach.
Official confirmation
US agencies confirm unauthorized access
The US government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have confirmed "unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People's Republic of China."
However, they did not disclose the identities of those targeted in this breach.
Some cybersecurity experts suspect that Salt Typhoon, a group believed to be connected with China, may be behind this attack.
Data breach
Hackers may have accessed unencrypted SMS, call logs
The FBI has indicated that the hackers may have accessed unencrypted SMS text messages and call logs on multiple devices.
There are also reports of possible audio correspondence being compromised in the breach.
The hack is believed to have penetrated Verizon's phone systems, which raises concerns over the security of telecommunications infrastructure.
Past incidents
Previous breaches heighten concerns
Earlier this year, a breach into US telecommunications systems by Salt Typhoon was uncovered, sparking fears of potential risks to information collected under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The act permits the government to collect foreign intelligence on domestic soil.
These incidents have intensified concerns of foreign cyber hackers swaying the 2024 US Presidential election.