On Thursday (December 5th), the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States issued a statement recommending that communication service providers submit an annual certification to ensure they have established a defense plan against network attacks.
This proposal is in response to a network hacking organization known as the “Salt Typhoon” infiltrating U.S. telecommunications companies to steal call data, allegedly with the support of the Chinese Communist Party.
FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel stated in the announcement, “Our intelligence counterparts in the committee are identifying the scope and impact of the ‘Salt Typhoon’ attacks. We need to establish a modern framework to assist companies in ensuring network security and better prevent and respond to network attacks in the future.”
The widespread espionage activities of the “Salt Typhoon” have attracted attention in Washington. Rosenworcel’s statement came after a confidential briefing on hacker attacks held by U.S. government agencies for all senators.
On Wednesday (December 4th), a senior U.S. official told Reuters that “metadata of a large number of Americans” had been stolen by hackers, who invaded at least eight U.S. telecommunications and telecommunications infrastructure companies.
Rosenworcel stated that the proposal has been distributed to other members of the committee, and if approved, it will take immediate effect. President-elect Trump (Trump) has nominated Brendan Carr to replace Rosenworcel in the FCC. Carr did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Major U.S. telecommunications companies such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile also did not respond immediately to requests for comments.