Chinese hackers are striking the US again. According to U.S. administration officials, in fact, a huge amount of metadata was stolen in the extensive cyberespionage campaign conducted by the group “Salt Typhoon.”
“We believe a large number of Americans’ metadata was taken,” said one of the official, “We do not believe it’s every cellphone in the country, but we believe it’s potentially a large number of individuals that the Chinese government was focused on”.
According to experts, dozens of companies around the world were affected by the hackers, including “at least” eight telecommunications companies in the United States. U.S. officials said Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Lumen, among others, were targeted. T-Mobile said none of its customers’ data was compromised, and Lumen said there was no evidence that user information was put on the network.
In some other cases, however, hackers allegedly stole audio phone taps along with a large tranche of call record data. Metadata do not include the content of a phone call, but they can reveal who it was made to, how long it lasted, and where it was made from. Even without the content, therefore, they can reveal details about an individual’s private life, work, and relationships.
“There is a risk of ongoing compromises to communications until U.S. companies address the cybersecurity gaps. The Chinese are likely to maintain their access,” Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology at the National Security Council, said on Wednesday.
As has happened several times in the past, China again denied any speculation regarding its direct involvement in this affair. Indeed, an embassy spokesman in Washington stated: “China firmly opposes the US’s smear attacks against China without any factual basis.”
At a press conference Tuesday about Salt Typhoon, an FBI official said the hackers were primarily interested in the phone records of people in the Washington area. The bureau is notifying all Americans of calls it believes have been compromised.
