Chinese hackers breach parts of US telecommunications system, attack Trump and Harris campaigns

Hackers linked to the Chinese government have broken into parts of the United States telecommunications system, in a breach that could be related to an attempt to access data from the presidential campaigns of Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris.

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said late Friday they were investigating “unauthorized access” to commercial telecommunications infrastructure, attributing the attack to actors affiliated with China. .

The agencies said they immediately notified affected businesses once the breach was detected and offered assistance, although there could be additional victims.

“The investigation is ongoing and we encourage any organization that believes it may be a victim to contact its local FBI or CISA office,” the statement said.

“Agencies across the US government are collaborating to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector,” he added.

The Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed American hacking accusations as disinformation, calling the United States “the origin and biggest perpetrator of cyberattacks.”

“For some time, the United States has been collecting and spreading all kinds of disinformation about so-called Chinese hacking threats,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said in an email to the Voice of America.

“China’s position is consistent and clear,” he said. “China firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft in all its forms.”

News of the China-linked breach followed a report by the New York Times Friday that Chinese hackers are believed to have broken into telecommunications networks to attack the Trump campaign.

People familiar with the investigation told Times that Chinese hackers specifically sought to access data on phones used by Trump and his running mate, Republican Senator JD Vance.

Separately, a person familiar with the investigation told the VOA that people affiliated with Vice President Harris’ campaign were also attacked.

Investigators are still trying to determine what data the hackers were able to obtain, if any, and whether they were able to listen to conversations in real time.

The FBI declined to comment on the breaches to the Trump and Harris campaigns.

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