(Credit: Traffic_analyzer via Getty Images)
The Chinese state-sponsored hackers who breached AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile to spy on Donald Trump remain inside US networks, according to Senator Mark Warner.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the Virginia Democrat and Senate Intelligence chairman provided more disturbing details about the cyber espionage effort, which was allegedly carried out by a Chinese hacking group known as Salt Typhoon.
Sen. Warner called the incident the "worst telecom hack in our nation's history—by far." But more startling, he says Salt Typhoon continues to spy on US networks despite the FBI's involvement. According to Warner, booting the Chinese hackers won’t be easy because it’ll require physically replacing thousands of outdated routers and switches inside US telecommunication networks. Salt Typhoon has infiltrated more than a dozen US telecom companies, the Post says.
The FBI says Salt Typhoon has been spying on the private communications of a limited group of individuals. This reportedly includes targeting the phones belonging to Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and select White House officials. Still, Warner points out that Salt Typhoon could have collected details on potentially millions of people.
So far, the FBI has only found around 150 victims, most of them in D.C., the Post reports. But those people have called or texted a lot of people—potentially millions—"and that number could go up dramatically," Sen. Warner says.
Warner is raising the alarm to warn the American public, but there are a lot of unknowns, including how the Chinese hackers infiltrated so many US networks and which bugs they exploited.
Verizon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But an AT&T spokesperson told PCMag: "We are working in close coordination with Federal law enforcement, industry peers and cyber security experts to identify and remediate any impact on our networks.”
Meanwhile, T-Mobile said it's "closely monitoring this industry-wide attack. Due to our security controls, network structure and diligent monitoring and response we have seen no significant impacts to T-Mobile systems or data. We see no evidence of access or exfiltration of any customer or other sensitive information as other companies may have experienced. We will continue to monitor this closely, working with industry peers and the relevant authorities."
Back in 2019, the FCC also announced a program to fund the removal of Chinese telecommunication equipment from US networks, citing the alleged spying risks. However, the FCC secured only $1.9 billion in federal funding when an estimated $5 billion is needed to help pay for the reimbursements.