In recent weeks, US authorities have been warning about a potential campaign of attacks on US telecommunications infrastructure from China. Hackers have reportedly been trying to breach the most prominent mobile carriers for months. A new report reveals that White House officials held a meeting with telecom executives to address the alleged hack.
White House officials and telecom executives addressed hacking campaign from China in meeting
An earlier report revealed that a US Senate panel will hold a meeting with cybersecurity experts to discuss the situation. Now, according to Reuters, White House officials conducted a similar meeting with executives of US mobile carriers. “The meeting was an opportunity to hear from telecommunications sector executives on how the U.S. Government can partner with and support the private sector in hardening against sophisticated nation state attacks,” reads a White House statement.
We do not know which mobile carriers or executives participated in the meeting with the White House. However, Jake Sullivan—national security adviser—and Anne Neuberger—deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology hosted it.
Attacks targeting US officials and police telecommunications channels
According to the FBI, the attacks on US carriers targeted prominent public officials, including the latest presidential candidates. The breach could have also compromised the data of election campaign staff and all those who communicated with them.
The most recent attack on the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure targeted communication channels for U.S. law enforcement agencies. It aimed to obtain sensitive surveillance data by creating backdoors through advanced technology in official police surveillance systems. Senator Mark Warner referred to the multiple attacks as the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history—by far.”
The attacks could have been carried out through carriers such as Verizon and AT&T over an eight-month period. The hackers could have had access to data such as call logs and SMS. A recent report added T-Mobile to the list, but the carrier denied any data breaches in an official statement.
