WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Chinese hack compromised even more U.S. telecommunications companies than previously known, including Charter communications (NASDAQ:), Consolidated Communications and Windstream, the Wall Street Journal reported late Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The hackers also exploited unpatched network devices from the security vendor. Fortinet (NASDAQ:) and large network routers compromised from Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:), the newspaper reported.
In addition to deep intrusions into AT&T (NYSE and Verizon (NYSE ), hackers breached other networks belonging to Lumen Technologies and T-Mobile, according to the report.
China denied taking part in such actions and accused the United States of peddling disinformation.
There is growing concern about the size and scope of Chinese hacking into American telecommunications networks and questions about when companies and the government will be able to reassure Americans on the issue.
The report adds that US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told technology and telecommunications executives in a secret White House meeting in the fall of 2023 that Chinese hackers had gained the ability to shut down will target dozens of US ports, power grids and other infrastructure targets.
The China-linked Salt Typhoon cyberespionage operation targeted AT&T and Verizon systems, but the wireless carriers' U.S. networks are now secure as they work with authorities and government officials, the companies said last week in their first recognition of attacks.
Lumen said it no longer sees evidence of the attackers on its network and that no customer data was accessed. T-Mobile said it stopped recent attempts to infiltrate its systems and protected access to sensitive customer information, according to the Journal.
Verizon told the newspaper that a small number of high-profile customers in government and politics were specifically targeted by a threat actor and that those people had been notified.
Vandana Venkatesh, Verizon's chief legal officer, told the newspaper that “Verizon has contained the activities associated with this particular incident.”
Cisco and Fortinet declined to comment to the newspaper.
Previous targets of the salt typhoon reportedly included officials connected to the presidential campaigns of Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
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