Sources: Chinese hackers targeted data from phones of Trump and JD Vance, via a hack of Verizon systems; staff members of Harris' campaign were also targeted
our adversaries fear him. https://www.wsj.com/... Meridith McGraw / @meridithmcgraw : Chinese hackers are believed to have targeted the cell phones of Trump and Vance, according to people familiar. The Trump campaign was notified of the potential breach earlier this week. Confirming reporting from NYT. Jerry Dunleavy IV / @jerrydunleavy : 🚨 “Chinese hackers who are believed to have burrowed deep into U.S. communications networks targeted data from phones used by former President Donald J. Trump & his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.” https://www.nytimes.com/... [image] William Evanina / @billevanina : I'll say it yet again, until the Administration decides to inflict costs onto the CCP for continued penetration and potential destruction to US critical infrastructure, this will continue and will escalate. When does this cross the line to terrorism? Volt Typhoon is already at @cisagov : Today, with @FBI, we released a joint statement on malicious PRC-sponsored cyber activity targeting commercial telecommunications infrastructure. We encourage any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI field office or CISA. https://www.cisa.gov/... [image] Jeff Seldin / @jseldin : JUST IN: @FBI, @CISAgov confirm #China-linked hackers targeted/accessed commercial telecommunications infrastructure Affected companies have been notified & offered technical assistance, investigation is ongoing [image] Christopher Porter / @thecyberchris : I warned four years ago that the failure of US intelligence to confront China over their campaign to influence the 2020 election would embolden them. We are now reaping the harvest of that bad decision. 🧵 https://www.nytimes.com/... Brandon J Pugh / @brandon_j_pugh : Many reports point to the phone conversations of @realDonaldTrump and @JDVance being targets. We've seen candidates and affiliated political groups targeted over the past month through cyber means. Candidates and campaigns at all levels need to be aware of these foreign efforts. Maggie Haberman / @maggienyt : NEWS: Chinese hackers are said to have targeted phones used by Trump and Vance, after infiltrating a telecomms system @DevlinBarrett @jonathanvswan me https://www.nytimes.com/... Eric Geller / @ericgeller : Unsurprising but still newsworthy, from NYT: Trump and Vance were “among a number of people inside and outside of government” targeted by Chinese hackers who broke into U.S. telecom networks (in this case Verizon): https://www.nytimes.com/... Background: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... [image] Jeff Seldin / @jseldin : NEW: Chinese hackers didn't just target data from Trump, Vance phones The hackers also targeted people affiliated w/the Harris-Waltz campaign, a person familiar w/the investigation tells @VOANews Dustin Volz / @dnvolz : The Salt Typhoon operation has rattled officials and investigators perhaps more than any cyber-espionage campaign I have covered in over 10 years as a reporter on this beat. https://www.wsj.com/... [image] Forums: r/politics : China sought to hack Trump, Vance and campaign phones, officials say r/centrist : Chinese Hackers Are Said to Have Targeted Phones Used by Trump and Vance Msmash / Slashdot : FBI Investigates Claims China Tried To Hack Donald Trump's Phone See also Mediagazer
New York Times
Context & Ripple Effects
This report ties political targeting to a broader intrusion into U.S. telecom infrastructure: earlier coverage said the China-linked Salt Typhoon campaign had breached major ISP networks and could reach wiretap systems, including in a reported breach of Verizon and AT&T networks.
It also follows an August FBI inquiry into suspected Iran-linked attempts against presidential campaigns, underscoring that campaign security now depends on both organizations' own defenses and the communications providers they use. Later related reporting alleged the telecom intrusion enabled access to calls and texts, raising the stakes of the initial targeting reports.
First-order effects
Trump, Vance and people affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign become potential victims of data exposure through their telecom connections, rather than solely through campaign IT systems.
Verizon and federal investigators face immediate pressure to determine the scope of the reported intrusion, what phone data was reachable, and whether affected users need protective measures.
Second-order effects
Campaigns and government offices may need to treat carrier-level access as a separate risk layer, expanding incident response beyond email, devices and internal networks.
Other telecom operators and providers supporting lawful-intercept infrastructure face stronger scrutiny over segmentation, privileged access and detection, because a breach at one carrier can expose high-value users across institutions.
Third-order effects
If telecom networks remain a route to political and government communications, security accountability will shift toward the network substrate itself: resilience of shared carrier infrastructure becomes a national-security issue, not merely an enterprise-security concern.
The episode points to a more contested model of campaign security in which foreign actors can target the service providers surrounding a campaign; the eventual policy response will depend on confirmed scope and attribution.
The trend: This is one data point in the shift from hacking individual political organizations to compromising shared communications infrastructure that serves them.
The malicious cyber activity by the People's Republic of China targeting our telecommunications infrastructure is a direct attack on our national security, economy, and the safety of the American people. This deliberate and hostile act underscores the urgent need to fortify our
🚨 Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office was targeted in the Chinese attempt to hack the phones of prominent politicians, a Democratic source briefed on the issue told me.
SIGINT indicates Chinese intelligence agencies appear to have been confused by the repeated references to Hannibal Lecter, Arnold Palmer, and Crate & Barrel
The hackers have shown unusually aggressive tactics since being discovered last month, disturbing investigators working to address the cyber-espionage campaign. That includes attempts to re-enter patched systems after being ejected from them, sources said https://www.wsj.com/...
NEW Chinese hackers didn't just get into Donald Trump and JD Vance's phones, they also got into phones associated with Kamala Harris' campaign, and the account of a Wall Street Journal reporter. Full Story: https://www.wsj.com/... [image]
NEWS: People affiliated w/ Harris campaign in addition to Trump and Vance targeted in major Chinese spy operation now believed to have hit dozens of firms and individuals. Spies also attempted to hack a @WSJ reporter after we exposed the operation. https://www.wsj.com/...
I could not agree more with my friend @BillEvanina. We are far past the point of attribution and bulletins as a win. We need serious leadership with the capacity and capability to impose real costs for this provocative behavior.
Do we need any more evidence that the CCP is worried about another Trump presidency? The reason we need Trump is the same reason Britain needed Churchill—our adversaries fear him. https://www.wsj.com/...
Chinese hackers are believed to have targeted the cell phones of Trump and Vance, according to people familiar. The Trump campaign was notified of the potential breach earlier this week. Confirming reporting from NYT.
🚨 “Chinese hackers who are believed to have burrowed deep into U.S. communications networks targeted data from phones used by former President Donald J. Trump & his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.” https://www.nytimes.com/..…
I'll say it yet again, until the Administration decides to inflict costs onto the CCP for continued penetration and potential destruction to US critical infrastructure, this will continue and will escalate. When does this cross the line to terrorism? Volt Typhoon is already at
Today, with @FBI, we released a joint statement on malicious PRC-sponsored cyber activity targeting commercial telecommunications infrastructure. We encourage any organization that believes it might be a victim to engage its local FBI field office or CISA. https://www.cisa.gov/..…
I warned four years ago that the failure of US intelligence to confront China over their campaign to influence the 2020 election would embolden them. We are now reaping the harvest of that bad decision. 🧵 https://www.nytimes.com/...
Many reports point to the phone conversations of @realDonaldTrump and @JDVance being targets. We've seen candidates and affiliated political groups targeted over the past month through cyber means. Candidates and campaigns at all levels need to be aware of these foreign efforts.
NEWS: Chinese hackers are said to have targeted phones used by Trump and Vance, after infiltrating a telecomms system @DevlinBarrett @jonathanvswan me https://www.nytimes.com/...
Unsurprising but still newsworthy, from NYT: Trump and Vance were “among a number of people inside and outside of government” targeted by Chinese hackers who broke into U.S. telecom networks (in this case Verizon): https://www.nytimes.com/... Background: https://www.washingtonpos…
NEW: Chinese hackers didn't just target data from Trump, Vance phones The hackers also targeted people affiliated w/the Harris-Waltz campaign, a person familiar w/the investigation tells @VOANews
The Salt Typhoon operation has rattled officials and investigators perhaps more than any cyber-espionage campaign I have covered in over 10 years as a reporter on this beat. https://www.wsj.com/... [image]