US officials are actively assisting major telecom providers in efforts to expel Chinese government-backed hackers from their networks. According to a senior official from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the extent of the penetration by these hackers is still being assessed, making it challenging to determine the exact measures needed to remove them.
The hacking attempts have targeted phone communications of senior US political figures, including President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. This cyber espionage campaign has raised significant concerns in Washington and is considered a top national security issue for the incoming administration.
Verizon and AT&T, among other major telecom carriers, have been working closely with federal agencies to address the hacking incidents. The FBI initiated an investigation into the Chinese hacking activity earlier this year, uncovering that the hackers obtained bulk phone records detailing communication patterns without accessing the content of calls or texts.
While the hackers managed to intercept call and text data for a limited number of individuals involved in government or politics, they also accessed information subject to US law enforcement requests. However, the primary focus of the hackers was not on the portal used for court-ordered wiretaps but rather on broader objectives related to national security.
Efforts to remove the hackers from the telecom networks are ongoing, with some providers making more progress than others. The FBI and CISA officials have emphasized the importance of fully understanding the scope of the intrusion before implementing effective measures to expel the hackers.
