US Identifies Ninth Telecom Company Affected by Chinese Cyberattacks
Investing.com -- According to a statement by a White House official on Friday, the ninth telecommunications company in the U.S. has been identified as a victim of a wide-ranging Chinese espionage effort. The official also announced plans for additional measures to counter cyberattacks originating from Beijing.
The Biden administration continues to reveal the scope of breaches attributed to China, referred to as "Salt Typhoon." The blame is directed at companies that have been slow to detect the cyberattack. National Security Council Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, Anne Neuberger, criticized these companies for neglecting basic cybersecurity measures.
Neuberger stated on Friday, "China is targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S. These are private sector companies, and we still see that companies are not taking basic precautions." She added that the U.S. aims to "lock down this infrastructure" and hold China accountable for these cyberattacks.
Earlier this month, the Commerce Department implemented a ban on China Telecom. Neuberger confirmed that similar actions against other entities would be announced within the next month. One of the nine telecom companies that suffered a breach had a managerial account with access to over 100,000 routers. When this account was compromised by Chinese actors, they gained broad access across the network.
According to Neuberger, the exact number of Americans affected by these breaches is uncertain. A significant number of individuals in the Washington, D.C. and Virginia areas were impacted, but fewer than 100 people had their phone calls and messages hacked.
The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on a rule aimed at strengthening the protection of America's critical infrastructure in mid-January. The General Services Administration is also reviewing government contracts to mandate better cybersecurity practices.
Neuberger also pointed out a concerning increase in health-related hacks that expose Americans' health information and make them vulnerable to blackmail. The Department of Health and Human Services is expected to propose new rules to safeguard medical data in response to this threat.