U.S. Representatives John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi have called for a closed-door briefing with executives from Verizon, AT&T, and LumenTech following reports of a cyber attack believed to be sponsored by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party shared this request in a post on X, emphasizing the need for the telecom giants to brief the committee on the situation.
This initiative comes after an October 5 report from the Wall Street Journal revealed that the cyber attack had breached the networks of multiple U.S. broadband providers, potentially compromising systems related to court-authorized wiretapping requests. The report raises serious national security concerns, indicating that hackers may have gained extended access to vital network infrastructure.
A senior U.S. intelligence official, cited in The Washington Post, noted that such access allows the CCP to identify targets of interest to the U.S. government, potentially undermining intelligence efforts or spreading disinformation.
The hacking group believed to be responsible for this breach is identified as Salt Typhoon, which has ties to China’s Ministry of State Security. Earlier this year, the Select Committee also addressed threats from another Chinese hacking unit, Volt Typhoon, which had successfully infiltrated critical U.S. infrastructure.
The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party was established to confront the challenges posed by the CCP to the U.S. and its allies. It investigates issues related to espionage, trade, technology theft, and human rights abuses, while also overseeing U.S. policies to ensure alignment with national security interests.
In light of these developments, the committee is urging prompt enhancements to U.S. cybersecurity strategies to effectively counter these unprecedented threats.
