Trump and JD Vance among targets of major Chinese cyberattack, investigators say

Chinese hacking group "Salt Typhoon" may have stolen data from every single American, including US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, US officials said after concluding a year-long investigation.

Chinese hacking groups have targeted global power grids and companies in more than 80 countries in a year-long hacking assault. Salt Typhoon alone is alleged to have hacked into power grids and companies for decades, stealing intellectual property such as US chip designs. 

Trump and Vance were targeted during their presidential campaigning last year. The report also noted that several high-profile Democrats were also evidently targeted.

US investigators said the attack goes much deeper than they initially predicted, revealing that the cyber assault was a result of a years-long coordinated effort.

The attack, carried out by Chinese state-sponsored hackers, targeted major telecommunications companies, retrieving data which security officials say could allow Beijing’s intelligence services to exploit global communication networks, track targets, including politicians, activists, dissidents and spies.

In a joint statement, involving several countries, including Germany, the UK, Italy, Finland and Spain, officials said the cyber criminals “are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks.”

UK and US officials have described the attack as “unrestrained” and “indiscriminate” in an unprecedented statement, which also included the likes of Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea as signatories.

“I can’t imagine any American was spared given the breadth of the campaign,” said Cynthia Kaiser, a former top official in the FBI’s cyber division, who was involved in the investigations into the hacking.

How dangerous is the hack?

The Salt Typhoon hack could pose a new threat from China, capable of testing its rivals, including the United States, and match their tech prowess, as the world’s second-largest economy looks to expand its dominance and mark its territory as a global giant.

Investigators linked the assault to a minimum of three Chinese tech firms that have been operating since at least 2019. The 38-page joint report and statement added that the cocktail of companies behind those attacks has a history of carrying out operations for the Chinese military and civilian intelligence agencies.

The cyberbreach aimed to give Chinese officials the capacity to “identify and track their targets’ communications and movements around the world.”

Attackers stole data from telecom and internet service companies, breaching over a half dozen in the US alone, exploiting old vulnerabilities in the networks, according to British officials.

London added that Beijing was able to listen to phone calls, read text messages, and access locally stored files on the devices of those who were targeted.

The scale of this breach highlights China’s ever-growing ambitions for global influence across all fields, including defence and technology.

On Wednesday, China revealed to the world its latest weapons and defence technologies in a military parade in Beijing, attended by several world leaders, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.