During a recent event at the Halifax The Forum, Republican South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds issued a grave warning to the American public. According to Rounds, China’s state-sponsored hackers, known as Salt Typhoon, have gained the ability to spy on millions of Americans through their mobile phones. The senator revealed that these hackers have infiltrated all major U.S. telecommunications firms, giving the Chinese Communist government access to all of our personal information.
In his statement, Rounds stated, “Any one of us and every one of us today is subject to the review by the Chinese Communist government of any cell phone conversation you have with anyone in America.” He also added, “They can read your texts, and they can hear your conversations.” This is a chilling reminder of the threat China poses to the privacy and security of Americans.
Salt Typhoon, a known Chinese hacking group, has reportedly breached the networks of major telecom companies such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. According to Democratic Virginia Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, this is “the worst telecom hack in our nation’s history – by far.” Warner also revealed that the breach has been ongoing for over a year and affects some of the most influential figures in American politics, including former President Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Despite intervention from the FBI, the Chinese hackers are still embedded in the U.S. telecom infrastructure, and their presence poses a significant threat to national security.
Warner emphasized that removing them will require a massive overhaul of the affected networks, which could involve the physical replacement of thousands of routers and switches. This breach also highlights the need for stricter cybersecurity measures to protect against Chinese aggression, a sentiment echoed by the Biden administration.
It is clear that China is actively and persistently trying to infiltrate our telecommunications systems and exfiltrate sensitive data. This is not a new tactic, as China has a long history of cyber espionage and theft of intellectual property.
As President Trump and his administration were keenly aware of this threat, it is imperative that we continue to prioritize cybersecurity and take proactive measures to protect our data and national security interests.