US lawmakers demand telecom giants provide information on cyber attack reports | World News

This follows an Oct. 5 Wall Street Journal report indicating that the attack penetrated the networks of several U.S. broadband providers and may have compromised systems used for court-authorized wiretapping requests.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, hackers may have had access to critical network infrastructure for an extended period of time, raising significant national security concerns.

A senior U.S. intelligence official quoted in The Washington Post explained: “This allows the CCP to understand exactly who the U.S. government is interested in and either undermine the government’s intelligence efforts or target the United States with disinformation to provide for.”

The letter highlights that the hacking group believed to be behind this breach is Salt Typhoon, which is closely linked to China’s Ministry of State Security.

Earlier this year, the special committee addressed similar threats posed by another Chinese hacking entity, Volt Typhoon, which successfully compromised U.S. critical infrastructure.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Special Committee was established to address the challenges the CCP poses to the United States and its allies. It investigates the CCP’s activities related to espionage, trafficking, technology theft and human rights abuses, while monitoring U.S. government policies to ensure they are consistent with national security interests.

The committee promotes transparency about the CCP’s influence in various sectors, recommends legislation to combat this influence, and interacts with stakeholders through hearings and briefings.

Given these developments, the Committee calls for urgent improvements to U.S. cybersecurity strategies to address these unprecedented threats.

First published: Oct 12, 2024 | 1:40 p.m IS