Chinese hackers have reportedly accessed data from the cell phones of former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, according to information shared by federal officials this week. The breach, initially reported by The New York Times, is part of what security experts are calling a sophisticated espionage campaign aimed at infiltrating U.S. communications networks.
Federal investigators believe this breach was part of an ongoing, wide-reaching effort by Chinese hackers to obtain intelligence on prominent American figures. The intrusion allegedly targeted several individuals, both within and outside the government, with Trump and Vance among the high-profile figures affected. According to sources, these cyber actors exploited vulnerabilities within the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, allowing them access to data from specific devices without users’ knowledge:
The type of information on phones used by a presidential candidate and his running mate could be a gold mine for an intelligence agency: Who they called and texted, how often they communicated with certain people and how long they talked to those people could be highly valuable to an adversary like China. That sort of communications data could be even more useful if hackers could observe it in real time.
People briefed on the matter said Democrats were among the targets, including staff members of Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign and prominent figures on Capitol Hill, including Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader.
The targeting of a presidential ticket’s communications underscores the aggressiveness, scope and potential severity of the hacking attack, which Western cybersecurity experts believe was carried out by a group they have called Salt Typhoon.
The investigation is continuing, but the F.B.I. and national security officials have signaled that they are deeply concerned about the potential extent of compromised data and the wide range of possible victims.
Espionage vs. Election Interference
The attack is primarily being viewed as espionage, with no immediate indication of interference benefiting either party or causing chaos in the 2024 presidential election. Sources close to the investigation emphasized that, beyond Trump and Vance, the hackers also targeted members of both major political parties, underscoring the alleged intelligence-gathering objective of the attack.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the scope of this breach to determine the full impact on U.S. officials and citizens.
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With aid of Deep State too
Biden is either incompetent or owned by China. They repeatedly spy on us and work against us(BRICS) and steal our corporation’s intellectual property and Biden does nothing.
how long was the our government aware of this before New York Times reported it? how much information was forwarded to the Democrat party before the media let people know what was going on.
Where was Hillary Clinton when these supposedly hackers were hired?
Nooo! The DNC/FBI/DOJ … [fill in the blank] … did that and blamed it on … [fill in the blank] … to deflect suspicion!