US officials have accused Chinese hackers of spying on presidential campaigns

Chinese hackers have been accused of compromising US telecommunications systems and engaging in spying on US presidential campaigns, with US officials warning that it could take years to remove the hackers from the network, VOA News reports.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI on Tuesday called on US telecommunications companies and their customers to exercise greater caution, stressing that the breach may have gone deeper than previously thought.

Speaking at a briefing with reporters, Jeff Green, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity, said, “We can’t say with certainty that the adversary has been ejected because we still don’t know what they Are doing.”

“We can’t say with confidence that we know everything, nor will our colleagues say the same,” Green said, adding, “We’re still trying to understand.”

A senior FBI official also discussed the breach investigation. “In a situation of this magnitude, understanding the scope of adversarial activity through our investigation is measured in years,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, as VOA News reports.

The official further warned, “They may change their TTPs as more information comes to light [tactics, techniques and procedures] And their perspective.” “They may become inactive for some time to lower their profile,” the officer said.

The breach, first revealed in October, is attributed to Salt Typhoon, a Chinese-linked cyber gang accused of spying on the presidential campaigns of both US President-elect Donald Trump and his/her Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris. Suspected of targeting communications networks. The hackers have reportedly adapted their tactics as more information about their activities has come to light, complicating the ongoing investigation.

According to VOA, both CISA and the FBI emphasized uncertainty over the long-term impact of the breach. The FBI official warned that it could take years to fully understand the scope of the hackers’ operations due to the complexity and scale of the intrusion.

China has repeatedly rejected US allegations. Regarding the latest US allegations, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in an email to VOA News, “For quite some time, the US side has peddled all kinds of misinformation about the dangers of ‘Chinese hackers’ ‘To serve their own geopolitical objectives.’

Liu said China opposes and counters all forms of cyber attacks and called on the US to stop its cyber attacks against other countries. “The US needs to stop its cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cybersecurity to smear and discredit China,” Liu said.

Despite China’s denials, U.S. officials have said the Chinese breach is far greater than initially thought, affecting telecommunications companies around the world, and according to VOA, it is continuing to gather information about adversaries around the world. Seems to be part of a larger effort by the Chinese government. News report.

“Certainly, the way they went about it was very, very specific,” said the senior FBI official, who focused on telecommunications infrastructure and Internet service providers. “But it really fits into the cyber espionage bucket for the Chinese to inform global targets,” the official said.

CISA and the FBI did not mention the number of telecommunications companies or countries affected. According to the agencies, Chinese efforts in the US fall into three categories: personal communications, call records of customers and US law enforcement requests in accordance with court orders.