- Salt Typhoon allegedly compromised emails of US House committee staffers on China, foreign affairs, and defense
- Scope of intrusion remains unclear; FBI and White House have not commented publicly
- Group is part of China’s “Typhoon” nexus, known for telecom breaches
Salt Typhoon, a notorious Chinese state-sponsored hacking group recognized for its attacks on Western telecommunications companies, has reportedly been found infiltrating Western communications once again.
Recent reports indicate that they compromised emails belonging to staff members of influential committees in the US House of Representatives. According to the Financial Times, the attackers accessed email systems utilized by staffers on the House China committee.
Additionally, aides on panels related to foreign affairs, intelligence, and the armed forces were also targeted, although specific names have not been disclosed.
Who are Salt Typhoon?
The extent of the breach and how deeply the attackers penetrated the systems remains uncertain. It is unclear whether they accessed emails of elected officials or only those of their staff.
As of now, the FBI and the White House have not issued any public statements regarding the incident, while Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy, dismissed the claims as “unfounded speculation and accusations.”
Salt Typhoon is part of a broader network of Chinese state-sponsored groups known as “Typhoon,” which includes Brass Typhoon, Volt Typhoon, and Flax Typhoon. These groups are involved in cyber-espionage, data theft, and maintaining persistent access to critical infrastructure.
Last October, cybersecurity firm Darktrace reported that Salt Typhoon was targeting communications networks in Europe. Prior to that, they were linked to breaches affecting at least eight US telecommunications companies, including T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies. Officials noted that Salt Typhoon's victims span numerous countries, employing stealthy techniques such as DLL sideloading and zero-day exploits.
Whenever similar incidents arise, Chinese officials vehemently deny the allegations and often accuse the US of being the world's biggest cyberbully.
Via Financial Times
