Chinese cyber spies targeted phones used by Trump and Vance

China-linked threat actors targeted the phone communications of Donald Trump and vice presidential nominee JD Vance.

China-linked hackers reportedly targeted phones used by former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance as part of a cyber espionage campaign aimed at gathering intelligence on American leaders, the New York Times reported.

US intelligence is investigating the claims to determine what communications were eavesdropped by the cyberspies. The New York Times, citing two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that the threat actors carried out a sophisticated penetration of telecom systems.

The information on phones used by the two politicians is a gold mine for foreign intelligence agencies, especially ahead of the Presidential election.

“The type of information on phones used by a presidential candidate and his running mate could be a gold mine for an intelligence agency: Who they called and texted, how often they communicated with certain people and how long they talked to those people could be highly valuable to an adversary like China.” reads the report published by the NYT. “That sort of communications data could be even more useful if hackers could observe it in real time.”

A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Chinese cyber spies also targeted people affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign and senior Biden administration officials.

Sources told CNN that the Chinese APT group Salt Typhoon demonstrated exceptional skill and cyber capabilities in recent intrusions.

Immediately after the US agencies identified the ongoing campaign targeting telecommunication companies notified them and provided support to lock out the threat actors.

“The U.S. Government is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.” reads a statement published by US CISA and FBI. “After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims. The investigation is ongoing, and we encourage any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI field office or CISA. “

CNN reported that the China-linked hackers targeted major US broadband and internet providers, including AT&T, Verizon and Lumen.

U.S. officials notified both House and Senate intelligence committees on a serious Chinese cyber espionage campaign, with daily monitoring by Senate Chair Sen. Mark Warner and an investigation by the House Homeland Security Committee.

“This is a very serious breach that the committee is monitoring on a daily basis,” said Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who chairs the intelligence committee.

The Chinese government continues to deny the allegations.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, China-linked hackers)