Ethical Hacking News
In a shocking turn of events, major telecom companies AT&T and Verizon have confirmed that their networks were breached in a massive Chinese cyber-espionage campaign. The breach, known as the "Salt Typhoon" operation, has resulted in the compromise of sensitive customer data and has raised serious concerns about the security of global telecommunications networks. With calls for greater action to be taken to protect against such incidents growing louder by the day, it remains to be seen how these companies will respond to this shocking breach.
Several major telecom companies, including AT&T and Verizon, were targeted by a Chinese cyber-espionage group known as Salt Typhoon in a massive breach. The breach resulted in the compromise of sensitive customer data and raised concerns about the security of global telecommunications networks. Both AT&T and Verizon have assured that their networks are now secure, but the incident highlights the need for greater action to be taken to protect against such incidents. The breach has been linked to other countries beyond just China, with reports emerging that hackers targeted carriers in dozens of other countries. The White House has announced plans to ban China Telecom's last active U.S. operations and is considering banning TP-Link routers if ongoing investigations find that their use in cyberattacks is a national security risk.
The world of cybersecurity has been abuzz with news of a massive breach that has left several major telecom companies reeling. The breach, attributed to a Chinese cyber-espionage group known as the "Salt Typhoon," has resulted in the compromise of sensitive customer data and has raised serious concerns about the security of global telecommunications networks.
According to recent reports, AT&T and Verizon have confirmed that their networks were breached in the massive campaign, which also targeted other telecom companies worldwide. However, both AT&T and Verizon have assured that they have taken steps to evict the hackers from their networks and are confident that their systems are now secure.
"We have not detected threat actor activity in Verizon's network for some time, and after considerable work addressing this incident, we can report that Verizon has contained the activities associated with this particular incident," said a spokesperson for Verizon. "We detect no activity by nation-state actors in our networks at this time."
Similarly, AT&T has issued a statement confirming that it was breached in the campaign, but added that the breach did not result in any compromise of sensitive customer data. The company stated that it cooperates with law enforcement and works with other telecom companies to investigate incidents like this.
"We detect no activity by nation-state actors in our networks at this time," said an AT&T spokesperson. "Based on our current investigation of this attack, the People's Republic of China targeted a small number of individuals of foreign intelligence interest."
The breach has raised serious concerns about the security of global telecommunications networks and has led to calls for greater action to be taken to protect against such incidents.
"T-Mobile also disclosed in November that the Chinese 'Salt Typhoon' hackers breached some of its routers to find ways to move laterally through its network," said Jeff Simon, AT&T's Chief Security Officer. "However, the company's cyber defenses stopped the attack originating from a connected wireline provider's network."
Simon added that "Bad actors had no access to sensitive customer data (including calls, voicemails, or texts). We quickly severed connectivity to the provider's network as we believe it was – and may still be – compromised."
The breach has also been linked to other countries beyond just China, with reports emerging that the hackers targeted carriers in dozens of other countries.
"The White House's deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, Anne Neuberger, told reporters on Friday that the Chinese hacking campaign impacted nine U.S. telecommunications companies," reported a recent news article. "Earlier this month, Neuberger also revealed in a press briefing that the Chinese hackers had breached carriers in dozens of other countries."
In response to the breach, the White House has announced plans to ban China Telecom's last active U.S. operations and is considering banning TP-Link routers if ongoing investigations find that their use in cyberattacks is a national security risk.
"FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the agency would act 'urgently' to ensure that U.S. carriers are required to secure their infrastructure," added another news article. "U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon also announced a new bill to secure the networks of American telecoms."
The Salt Typhoon group, which is also known as Earth Estries, FamousSparrow, Ghost Emperor, and UNC2286, has been active since at least 2019 and is known for breaching telecom companies and government entities throughout Southeast Asia.
In conclusion, the recent breach attributed to the Salt Typhoon group has raised serious concerns about the security of global telecommunications networks. While both AT&T and Verizon have assured that their networks are secure, the incident highlights the need for greater action to be taken to protect against such incidents in the future.
Related Information:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/atandt-and-verizon-say-networks-secure-after-salt-typhoon-breach/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Typhoon
https://www.armis.com/blog/breaking-down-salt-typhoon/
Published: Mon Dec 30 04:09:01 2024 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
