Following a recent cyberattack, nicknamed Salt Typhoon, at "at least eight" telecom companies in the U.S., the authorities encouraged iPhone and Android users to use encrypted apps for communication, a U.S. official informed journalists via a News call on Tuesday.
According to various news outlets, authorities on a news call alleged that the Salt Typhoon hacks, reportedly one of the "largest intelligence compromises," was an attempt by China to spy on U.S. citizens.
According to Reuters, the official, who requested his name be hidden, did not disclose the severity of the hacking but informed that metadata of many people, including important officials, was accessed; however, no classified information was accessed.
"We believe a large number of Americans' metadata was taken (...)We do not believe it's every cell phone in the country, but we believe it's potentially a large number of individuals that the Chinese government was focused on."
On Wednesday, the Chinese embassy in Washington reacted to the allegations and denied having any connections to the cyber attacks. According to the embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu,
"The US needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cybersecurity to smear and slander China."
Details on the alleged Salt Typhoon
According to reports, the cyberattack campaign was nicknamed Salt Typhoon by Microsoft. The hackers targeted multiple telecommunication companies in other countries and at least eight in the U.S. The U.S. officials alleged that the cyberattack affected companies like T-Mobile, Lumen, AT&T, etc.
NBC News, citing an FBI Official, reported that the hackers accessed three types of information: call records metadata, which shows the when, where, and who of calls but does not include the content of the call; live phone calls of specific people; systems used by Telecom companies.
Based on the reports on the News call with U.S. officials, as of Tuesday, the cyber attack was still ongoing, and the authorities could not provide any information on when the threat would be eradicated.
Regarding the cyber attack allegation, T-Mobile said that, though "bad actors" attempted to infiltrate their network, the network security promptly prevented any advancements, and customer data was not compromised. They could not confirm if the said "bad actors" were Salt Typhoon. Meanwhile, Lumen also said that they couldn't find any evidence that suggests customer data has been compromised, Reuters reports.
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According to Reuters, hacks are a cause of worry despite hackers not having accessed classified data because call record metadata can help hackers gain information on people's personal and work lives.
Reuters reported that the FBI considers the Salt Typhoon hacks a top priority and has already briefed President Biden many times. The FBI also conducted classified meetings with Senators.
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