Massive Espionage: Beijing Hijacked U.S. Telecom Networks targeting millions including Trump, Harris

The political establishment is reeling from a major security breach in the telecommunications industry, allegedly orchestrated by a hacking group with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has accused the group, identified as "Salt Typhoon," of carrying out what he described as "the worst telecom hack in our nation's history."

The compromised data, intended for U.S. law enforcement use, reportedly ended up in the hands of officials in Beijing. Salt Typhoon is said to have exploited vulnerabilities in telecom network "trust" connections, gaining access to cables that allowed them to intercept live audio calls.

While fewer than 150 individuals—mostly in the nation's capital—were directly impacted by the breach, it is believed that millions had their call and text records accessed. This information could potentially be used for targeted surveillance of Americans. The hackers reportedly targeted prominent figures, including former President Donald Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, and members of Kamala Harris's campaign, among others.

The telecom industry has been aware of the breach since at least September, when it began alerting the government to the illicit activity. According to Warner, the scale and severity of the attack surpass high-profile incidents like the Colonial Pipeline and SolarWinds hacks, and the hackers remain active.

U.S. officials have characterized the breach as an espionage operation rather than a precursor to infrastructure sabotage, though its true intent remains unclear. The hackers allegedly infiltrated a government system that archives criminal wiretap requests but did not compromise the actual wiretapping mechanism itself.

Washington views its wiretapping systems as "lawful intercept" tools but has expressed outrage at their use by foreign actors. The breach included unencrypted communications, such as text messages, though encrypted platforms like Signal reportedly remain secure.

The Biden administration has released little information about the breach. A joint statement from the FBI and CISA confirmed the perpetrators' identification. Impacted telecom companies include AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Sen. Warner described the attack as part of a broader Chinese effort to infiltrate global telecom systems to exfiltrate vast amounts of data. Beijing has denied any involvement, claiming the attack was not the work of Chinese state actors.

While the intrusion was not election-related and occurred well before Election Day, it highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in critical U.S. infrastructure and raises alarms about foreign cyber espionage capabilities.