U.S. telecom companies are dealing with what some experts are calling the largest hack in U.S. history. Carried out by “Salt Typhoon,” this sophisticated breach is raising critical concerns about the security of personal and national communications. But who’s responsible for this massive breach?
What Is Salt Typhoon?
Salt Typhoon is the codename given to the alleged Chinese state-backed cybergroup responsible for this hack. The breach targeted U.S. telecom providers, such as Verizon and AT&T, which serve as the backbone for communication networks. By infiltrating these systems, the attackers gained access to vast amounts of sensitive data, including private calls, text messages, and geolocation information.
The scope of this attack is alarming. According to experts, Salt Typhoon exploited vulnerabilities in telecommunications infrastructure, bypassing traditional security measures. These weaknesses allowed hackers to intercept communications at an unprecedented scale, potentially compromising not just individuals but also government and corporate entities. Hackers have allegedly tried to steal phone communications from President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, as well as high-ranking officials in the Biden administration.
During a briefing on December 4th, some U.S. officials expressed “great concern,” while others were simply frustrated. Republican Senator Rick Scott said “they have not told us why they didn’t catch it; what they could have done to prevent it.”
How Did It Happen?
One reason even U.S. officials are ‘stumped’ about this attack is because the truth might be a tough pill for them to swallow. Our every day text messages are not fully encrypted, and that’s by design. This allows telecom companies and law enforcement to access our old messages and metadata, such as location and times messages were sent. This idea is framed as a protective mechanism for us, the population. If the FBI can access all of our texts, they can protect us from bad actors.
But when these telecom companies leave a backdoor open, someone else can theoretically access that backdoor. Someone such as hackers from China. And that appears to be what happened. Our personal information is not fully encrypted and can be viewed by various groups of certain authority, and those groups can be hacked. So instead of protecting us from bad actors, the bad actors now have access to an unprecedented amount of the population’s personal information. And they likely still do.
Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser, told reporters that hackers are likely still active, saying “we do not believe any have fully removed the Chinese actors from these networks … so there is a risk of ongoing compromises to communications.”
Hacks like this rightfully cause citizens to raise questions about how our private information is handled. Does allowing backdoor access to our unencrypted data protect us or hurt us in the long run? It’s a question that may soon need to be revisited. In the meantime, it’s important to protect yourself.
How Can You Protect Yourself?
Although individuals cannot directly safeguard telecom infrastructure, there are steps you can take to minimize risks:
- Update Devices Regularly: Software updates often include critical security patches. Don’t delay installing them.
- Use Encrypted Communication Apps: Apps like Signal offer end-to-end encryption, making your conversations more secure.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security to your accounts.
- Avoid Public Wi-Fi: Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing sensitive information on public networks.
Featured Image by Midjourney & Aaron Weaver