China-linked hackers stole surveillance data from telecom companies, US says

WASHINGTON – China-linked hackers have intercepted surveillance data intended for American law enforcement agencies after breaking into an unspecified number of telecom companies, U.S. authorities said on Wednesday.

The hackers compromised the networks of “multiple telecommunications companies” and stole U.S. customer call records and communications from “a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity,” according to a joint statement,  released by the FBI and the U.S. cyber watchdog agency CISA.

The two agencies said the hackers also copied “certain information that was subject to U.S. law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders.”

The statement gave few other details and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FBI declined to comment.

The announcement confirms the broad outlines of previous media reports, especially those in the Wall Street Journal, that Chinese hackers were feared to have opened a back door into the interception systems used by law enforcement to surveil Americans’ telecommunications.

That, combined with reports that Chinese hackers had targeted telephones belonging to then-presidential and vice presidential candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance, along with other senior political figures, raised widespread concern over the security of America’s telecommunications infrastructure.

The matter is already slated for investigation by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board, which was set up to analyze the causes and fallout of major digital security incidents.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Beijing routinely denies U.S. hacking allegations.