Election Security , Fraud Management & Cybercrime

Key Federal Cyber Panel to Probe Chinese Telecoms Hacking

A prominent federal cybersecurity panel is set to investigate Chinese hacking of U.S. telecom networks and wiretapping infrastructure, potentially aimed at presidential campaign staff ahead of the November elections, officials confirmed Monday.

See Also: Safeguarding Election Integrity in the Digital Age

A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security told Information Security Media Group in an emailed statement that the Cyber Safety Review Board "will initiate a review of this incident at the appropriate time." The confirmation follows reports that Chinese state hackers targeted data from campaign phones used by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (see: Chinese Hackers Reportedly Targeted Trump, Vance Phones).

The forthcoming investigation will be the CSRB's fourth review, following its April report which criticized Microsoft for "avoidable errors" that enabled a Chinese hacking campaign targeting top U.S. officials' email accounts. Federal agencies have not yet confirmed whether the latest Chinese hacking aimed to influence the upcoming vote, stating only that the FBI and CISA "immediately notified affected companies" and supported victims after identifying the attack.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that Chinese hackers collected audio from calls made by "U.S. political figures." They were also able to access unencrypted communications including text messages, according to the report. Newspaper sources believe encrypted messages such as those made through Signal were not hacked.

Reports also indicate the phone hacking is linked to Salt Typhoon, a Beijing foreign intelligence service operation that targets U.S. systems for intelligence-gathering campaigns (see: Feds Probe Chinese 'Salt Typhoon' Hack of Major Telcos).

"Agencies across the U.S. government are collaborating to aggressively mitigate this threat," The FBI and CISA said in a joint statement on Friday, adding that an investigation is ongoing into "the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People's Republic of China."

Verizon spokesperson Rich Young said Friday in an emailed statement that the company is "aware a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence," following a New York Times report that Trump and Vance were among a wide range of public and private sector targets. Federal authorities have not confirmed whether hackers successfully stole data from telecom providers or their customers, including potential presidential campaign affiliates.

The 2024 U.S. presidential election has seen an escalating threat landscape in its final weeks, with reported interference attempts from China, Iran and Russia aimed at disrupting the democratic process and sowing discord. Homeland Security warned in an October report that threats from foreign adversaries and domestic violent extremists will "almost certainly" continue into 2025 as threat actors "could seek to exploit possible civil unrest if there are perceptions of election fraud" (see: DHS Warns Election Security Risks May Persist Into 2025).

Congress demanded answers from telecom giants over the Chinese hacking campaign earlier this month, saying in letters sent to AT&T, Verizon and Lumen that there was "growing concern regarding the cybersecurity vulnerabilities" embedded in U.S. telecommunications infrastructure. Those growing concerns come after CISA recently warned that Beijing-affiliated hackers have retained access to U.S. critical infrastructure IT environments for "at least five years" (see: Chinese Hackers Preparing 'Destructive Attacks,' CISA Warns).