According to sources familiar with the matter, Chinese hackers carried out a widespread hacking campaign targeting U.S. telecommunication networks, including the phones of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, his running mate Senator JD Vance, and people affiliated with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. The staff of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was also targeted. The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with China.
The U.S. government has concluded that China hacked three American telecommunications companies: AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies. Verizon acknowledged that a nation-state actor targeted U.S. telecommunications providers for intelligence gathering. However, there is no evidence suggesting that the hack was part of an operation to influence the 2024 U.S. election.
China has a history of cyberespionage operations targeting U.S. businesses and government figures. While Iran and Russia have been accused of attempting to sway voters in favor of their preferred presidential candidates in past elections, China has not been linked to efforts to influence the 2024 presidential race. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has not commented on whether this assessment still stands in light of the recent hacking incidents.
It is unclear if the campaign devices of Trump, Vance, Harris, or Schumer were successfully compromised, and the government has not provided details on the extent of the information stolen. The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. stated that they were not aware of the specific situation and emphasized that China does not interfere in U.S. elections.
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