American authorities announced Friday that they were investigating a cyberattack attributed to actors linked to China, targeting the phones of former President Donald Trump, Republican candidate, as well as his running mate JD Vance.
According to American press sources, intrusion attempts also targeted members of Kamala Harris’ campaign team. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) responded in a joint statement.
Donald Trump and JD Vance were briefed
“The U.S. government is investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors linked to the People’s Republic of China.” According to information published by the New York Times, Donald Trump and JD Vance were informed this week of this targeted hacking attempt.
Furthermore, investigators are working to establish whether the hackers were actually able to access the data and communications of Trump and Vance, a crucial detail which remains uncertain for the moment, according to the daily and sources familiar with the matter.
An attack via the Verizon operator
The cyberattack would have been carried out by the telephone operator Verizon, within which a vulnerability would have been exploited to potentially intercept sensitive information. “We are aware of reports that a highly capable state actor has targeted several US telecommunications operators in order to collect intelligence,” the company explained in an official statement. The operator assures that it is actively working to “confirm, assess and remedy any possible impact”, strengthening its security protocols to limit possible damage.
This type of interference is not unprecedented in American politics. In 2016, cyberhackers linked to Russia targeted Democratic Party emails, disclosing sensitive internal exchanges concerning candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Last September, three Iranian hackers were also reportedly indicted for attempting to hack Donald Trump’s campaign team.
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