The White House confirmed that a U.S. telecommunications firm was hacked by China as part of an espionage campaign, resulting in government officials in Beijing gaining access to private texts and calls from an unknown number of Americans.
This is the ninth U.S. telecoms company that has been hacked in the operation known as Salt Typhoon, according to The Associated Press. Dozens of other nations have also been affected by it.
Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said that the Biden administration has released information to companies on how to identify hacking tricks from China.
This campaign by China, which denies any involvement in the operation, "has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China’s hacking sophistication," according to the AP.
While FBI officials said there have only been a limited number of individuals whose communications have been accessed, senior government officials and prominent political figures are among them.
The Federal Communications Commission is expected to meet next month to go over the need for more effective cybersecurity practices in the telecoms industry.
