According to US media reports, it is said that Chinese hackers may have obtained the cellphone data of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate Vance by disrupting the US telecommunications system.
The New York Times cited an official source on Friday, October 25th, stating that Chinese hackers believed to have penetrated the US communication network have targeted the cellphone data of former president Trump and his campaign partner, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
Anonymous sources mentioned that investigators are working to determine which communication data, if hacked, the hackers may have obtained or viewed through intricate telecommunication systems.
The report suggests that the information on the phones of the presidential candidate and his campaign partner could be a goldmine for foreign intelligence agencies: who they call and text, the frequency of their communication with certain individuals, and the times they converse with these people could all be very important.
The report stated that anonymous officials said that this week, Trump’s campaign team learned that the phone numbers of Trump and Vance, as well as individuals inside and outside the team, have become targets for hackers infiltrating the Verizon phone system.
It is currently unclear whether the hackers can access text messages, especially those sent through unencrypted channels.
With less than two weeks left until the US election, Trump’s team was previously informed that they were targeted by Iranian hackers. Iranian hackers have repeatedly sent spear-phishing emails to Trump’s inner circle, successfully gaining access to some communication and documents within Trump’s campaign team.
Due to the assassination threats from Iran, security measures around Trump have been heightened.
A Trump campaign spokesperson did not confirm or mention in their statement whether the phones used by Trump and Vance have been targeted in the attacks.
Earlier this year, security officials discovered an intrusion into the US telecommunications system by a hacker group associated with China, known as “Salt Typhoon” by Western cybersecurity experts. However, officials mentioned that investigators only recently confirmed that the hackers were targeting specific phone numbers.
Sources revealed that the scope of the hackers’ infiltration extends beyond the 2024 political campaign, allegedly targeting multiple individuals, indicating potential far-reaching implications for national security.
During an artificial intelligence event on Thursday, October 24th, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that progress has been made in identifying foreign interference in elections.
“I think we have made progress in this regard, but there is still a long way to go to achieve the goals we need,” he said.