Chinese Espionage Targeting US Telecoms

A ninth US telecommunications company has been identified as a victim of a broad Chinese espionage effort, revealed by a White House official on Friday. The official noted that additional measures are being planned to counteract cyberattacks from Beijing.

The Biden administration is uncovering the extent of the Salt Typhoon breach, attributed to China, with blame directed at companies that were slow to detect the attack. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, criticized these companies for neglecting basic cybersecurity measures.

> "China is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States. Those are private sector companies, and we still see companies not doing the basics," Neuberger stated. She emphasized that the US aims to "lock down this infrastructure" and hold China accountable for these attacks.

Earlier this month, the Commerce Department banned China Telecom (NYSE:CHA). Neuberger confirmed that further actions against other entities will be announced within the next month. One breached telecom had an administrator account with access to over 100,000 routers, which was compromised, granting extensive network access to the attackers.

The exact number of Americans targeted by these breaches is unclear. While many individuals in the Washington, DC, and Virginia area were affected, fewer than 100 individuals’ phone calls and texts were hacked.

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on a rule in mid-January to enhance the protection of America’s critical infrastructure. Concurrently, the General Services Administration is reviewing government contracts to enforce better cybersecurity practices.

Neuberger also noted a troubling rise in health-related hacks that have compromised Americans' healthcare information, leaving them vulnerable to blackmail. The Department of Health and Human Services plans to propose new regulations to protect medical data in response to this issue.

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