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AT&T and Verizon say networks secure after Salt Typhoon breach. AT&T and Verizon confirmed they were breached in a massive Chinese espionage campaign targeting telecom carriers worldwide but said the hackers have now been evicted from their networks. "We have not detected threat actor activity in Verizon's network for some time, and after considerable work addressing this incident, we can report that Verizon has contained the activities associated with this particular incident," Verizon's Chief Legal Officer told Reuters. AT&T also issued a statement saying it cooperates with law enforcement and works with other telecommunication companies to investigate the incident. It also added that it detected a limited number of cases in which the attackers attempted to collect foreign intelligence information and in which the breach impacted customers' data. "We detect no activity by nation-state actors in our networks at this time. Based on our current investigation of this attack, the People's Republic of China targeted a small number of individuals of foreign intelligence interest," an AT&T spokesperson said. T-Mobile also disclosed in November that the Chinese "Salt Typhoon" hackers breached some of its routers to find ways to move laterally through its network. However, the company's Chief Security Officer, Jeff Simon, added that the carrier's cyber defenses stopped the attack originating from a connected wireline provider's network. "Bad actors had no access to sensitive customer data (including calls, voicemails, or texts). We quickly severed connectivity to the provider's network as we believe it was – and may still be – compromised," Simon said. The White House's deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, Anne Neuberger, told reporters on Friday that the Chinese hacking campaign impacted nine U.S. telecommunications companies. Earlier this month, Neuberger also revealed in a press briefing that the Chinese hackers had breached carriers in dozens of other countries. The U.S. government reportedly plans to ban China Telecom's last active U.S. operations in response to the telecom hacks and is also considering banning TP-Link routers if ongoing investigations find that their use in cyberattacks is a national security risk. In addition, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the agency would act "urgently" to ensure that U.S. carriers are required to secure their infrastructure. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon also announced a new bill to secure the networks of American telecoms. The Salt Typhoon Chinese cyber-espionage group (also tracked as Earth Estries, FamousSparrow, Ghost Emperor, and UNC2286) behind this hacking campaign has been active since at least 2019 and is known for breaching telecom companies and government entities throughout Southeast Asia.

Daily Brief Summary

NATION STATE ACTIVITY // Major Telecom Networks Confirm Security Post Chinese Espionage

AT&T and Verizon have experienced breaches attributed to a large-scale Chinese espionage campaign aimed at global telecom carriers.

Both companies have reported that the intruders have been removed from their networks, with no ongoing nation-state actor activity detected.

T-Mobile also faced an intrusion by the same Chinese hackers, known as "Salt Typhoon," but halted the breach, ensuring no sensitive customer data was compromised.

The U.S. government is responding to these breaches by considering a ban on China Telecom and potentially TP-Link routers, following evidence of their use in cyberattacks.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenwurcel expressed urgency in requiring U.S. carriers to bolster their security frameworks.

Senator Ron Wyden has proposed new legislation aimed at securing American telecoms’ networks.

The hacking group involved, also known by multiple aliases including Earth Estries and Ghost Emperor, has been active since at least 2019, targeting telecoms and government entities across Southeast Asia.