The Salt Typhoon cyberespionage operation, attributed to actors linked to China, recently targeted the systems of U.S. telecom giants AT&T and Verizon.
Both companies confirmed the attacks on Saturday, stating that their networks are now secure and that they continue to collaborate with law enforcement and government officials to address the situation.
AT&T acknowledged that the operation focused on a small number of individuals deemed to be of foreign intelligence interest. While only a limited amount of information was compromised, the company emphasized that it is actively monitoring its networks, implementing remediation efforts, and working closely with authorities to protect customer data. “We detect no activity by nation-state actors in our networks at this time,” an AT&T spokesperson said.
Verizon echoed a similar sentiment, reporting that it has successfully contained the threat associated with this incident. According to Verizon’s Chief Legal Officer, the company has not detected any malicious activity in its network for some time, and an independent cybersecurity firm has verified the containment. Verizon reassured customers that it had undertaken considerable efforts to address the breach and secure its systems.
The Salt Typhoon operation represents a broader campaign of cyber espionage. U.S. officials have identified a total of nine unnamed telecom companies compromised by the group, granting hackers extensive access to networks. This level of intrusion allowed them to geolocate millions of individuals and record phone calls at will.
Chinese officials have consistently denied involvement in such attacks, calling the allegations disinformation. Beijing has maintained that it opposes cyberattacks and cyber theft in all forms. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Federal Communications Commission have yet to comment on the situation.
This breach underscores the ongoing threat of cyberespionage targeting critical infrastructure and sensitive information. As telecommunications companies continue to bolster their defenses, collaboration between private industry and government entities remains essential to addressing the evolving cybersecurity landscape.
