White House Confirms 9th US Telecom Breach Linked to Chinese Hackers
The White House confirmed on Friday that a ninth US telecommunications company was breached as part of an ongoing Chinese hacking campaign targeting critical infrastructure in the US and other countries.
The cyber-espionage group, known as “Salt Typhoon” (also called Earth Estries, FamousSparrow, Ghost Emperor, and UNC2286), has been active since at least 2019 and specializes in infiltrating government and telecom networks worldwide.
Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Adviser, disclosed the new breach during a press conference, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector.
“China is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States, including private sector companies, and we continue to see these companies fail to implement basic cybersecurity practices,” Neuberger said, according to Bloomberg. “That’s why we’re focused on securing this infrastructure and holding China accountable.”
The breach was identified after the Biden administration issued new guidance to help organizations detect Chinese cyber activity. Neuberger reassured reporters that “no classified communications have been compromised.”
CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) officials acknowledged that while the breach is being investigated, they could not confirm whether the attackers had been fully removed from the affected systems.
In response, CISA has urged government officials to adopt encrypted messaging platforms like Signal to reduce interception risks and released technical guidance to help telecom operators strengthen defenses against Salt Typhoon’s tactics.
The Biden administration is increasing its efforts against Chinese entities linked to cybersecurity threats. Reports indicate that the US government plans to ban China Telecom’s remaining operations in the country and is investigating TP-Link routers, with possible restrictions next year if security risks are confirmed.
Additionally, legislative and regulatory actions are being considered to improve US telecom security. US Senator Ron Wyden is proposing a bill to secure American networks, while Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel vowed to act swiftly to enforce enhanced infrastructure protections for US carriers.
