Chinese hackers infiltrate court-authorized wiretap systems in US
Chinese hackers successfully breached the networks of several US broadband providers, including Verizon Communications, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies. According to The Wall Street Journal, these cyber intruders gained access to information from systems used for court-approved wiretapping. The report suggests that the hackers might have had access for months to network infrastructure, utilized by these companies in compliance with court-sanctioned US requests for communication data.
Chinese hackers also accessed other internet traffic
The Wall Street Journal's report indicates that this cyberattack was not limited to court-authorized wiretapping information. However, China's foreign ministry has not yet responded to these allegations. In previous instances, Beijing has consistently denied accusations from the US government and others about using hackers for unauthorized access into foreign computer systems.
'Salt Typhoon' behind the cyberattack
The Wall Street Journal has identified the group behind this cyberattack as a Chinese hacking collective known as "Salt Typhoon." The primary motive of this group is believed to be intelligence gathering. This revelation comes after US law enforcement's earlier disruption of another significant Chinese hacking group, "Flax Typhoon," and their confrontation with Beijing over extensive cyber espionage under a campaign named "Volt Typhoon."
