A hack of U.S. telecommunications systems linked to China that initially appeared to focus on the American presidential campaigns goes much deeper, according to investigators, and is likely part of a vast effort by Beijing to spy on the United States.
The FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned on Wednesday that the breach first detected late last month has now “revealed a broad and significant cyber espionage campaign.”
The two agencies said in a statement that their investigation has confirmed Chinese-linked hackers compromised the networks of multiple U.S. telecommunication companies, gaining access to a potential treasure trove of information.
Specifically, they said the hackers would have been able to access customer call records and infiltrate the private communications of a select number of government officials and politicians.
Additionally, the hackers appear to have been able to copy information requested by U.S. law enforcement as a result of court orders.
“We expect our understanding of these compromises to grow as the investigation continues,” the FBI and CISA said.
“We encourage any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI field office or CISA,” they added.
The two agencies first announced they were investigating a breach of U.S. telecommunications systems in late October, less than two weeks before U.S. voters cast their ballots in nationwide elections.
Word of the breach followed a report by The New York Times that Chinese hackers were thought to have broken into telecommunications networks to target the campaign of President-elect Donald Trump — including phones used by Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
The Trump campaign confirmed the breach in a statement to VOA. Separately, a person familiar with the investigation told VOA that people affiliated with the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris were also targeted.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington at the time dismissed the U.S. hacking allegations as disinformation, calling the U.S. "the origin and the biggest perpetrator of cyberattacks."
Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu on Thursday rejected the latest U.S. statements as disinformation.
“China firmly opposes the U.S.'s smear attacks against China without any factual basis,” he said in an email. “We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude when characterizing cyber incidents, basing their conclusions on sufficient evidence rather than unfounded speculation and accusations.”
U.S. intelligence agencies warned for months that foreign adversaries were using a combination of cyberattacks and influence operations to meddle with the November 5 U.S. presidential election.
In addition, reports issued by private cybersecurity firms indicated a significant uptick in activity by actors linked to Russia, China and Iran.
All three nations have repeatedly denied accusations of election meddling.
U.S. agencies, led by CISA and the FBI, have long warned that China-linked hackers have burrowed into U.S. computer systems and networks, in some cases hiding for years.
The China-linked group, known as Volt Typhoon, has been "positioning itself to launch destructive cyberattacks that would jeopardize the physical safety of Americans," according to an advisory issued in February.
"What we've found to date is likely the tip of the iceberg," CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement at the time.
