Chinese state-sponsored hackers have breached several U.S. telecommunication providers, in a cyber campaign aimed at stealing data from individuals working in government and politics, according to federal investigators.
The Chinese hackers compromised the networks of “multiple telecommunications companies” and stole customer call records and private communications from “a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity,” the agencies said, without identifying any of the individuals.
The Chinese hackers also copied “certain information that was subject to U.S. law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders,” the agencies said, suggesting the Chinese breach may have targeted programs covered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The agencies added that they are working to “strengthen cyber defenses” across the commercial communications sector.
“We expect our understanding of these compromises to grow as the investigation continues,” the agencies said.
In recent months, U.S. authorities have disclosed the activities of two Chinese state-sponsored cyber threat groups.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s exploitation of vulnerabilities in major internet service providers is just the newest alarm to sound as Beijing, Tehran, and Moscow work to gain strategic advantages through cyber espionage, manipulation, and destruction,” Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement.
“One in three Americans were affected by healthcare data breaches last year,” the report reads, noting that government agencies were the “third-most targeted sector” for ransomware attacks in 2023.
If enacted, the legislation would create an interagency task force led by CISA and the FBI to deal with cybersecurity threats posed by China’s state-sponsored cyber threat groups. It would also require the new task force to inform Congress of its findings every year for five years.
“While individual agencies have worked to examine and address the threats posed by malign cyber actors like Volt Typhoon, a siloed approach to cybersecurity will only give our adversaries the upper hand,” Lee said in a statement at the time.
“It is critical that the federal government implements a focused, coordinated, and whole-of-government response to all of Beijing’s cyber threats, so no other actors succeed.”