- A ninth victim has been identified in the Salt Typhoon hack
- Attackers are not believed to be lurking on the networks
- The White House wants to go ‘offensive’ against cyber threats
An ongoing investigation into the infamous Salt Typhoon hack shows that hackers are no longer present in the breached networks, and all networks are now secure. This is the latest development in one of the most far-reaching cyber espionage campaigns in recent history, which has just claimed its ninth victim, the White House confirmed.
Major telecom companies such as AT&T and Verizon were among the victims of the campaign, which compromised more than 100,000 routers in just one network, enabling broad and complete access, allowing the attackers to “geolocate millions of individuals and record phone calls at will.”
Fewer than 100 individuals are believed to have been personally affected by the attack, with the group specifically identifying a small number of devices in the Washington DC area, with the aim of identifying and monitoring government targets to gather intelligence.
White House retaliation
The attack has sparked a response from the White House, as new President Trump has vowed to go on the offensive. Officials argue that years of cyber defense have been ineffective, and Mike Waltz, the new national security adviser, has warned that the US “must start enforcing” national actors who pose a threat.
While the investigation is ongoing, it appears unlikely that the extent of the breach will ever be fully understood, with damage control and mitigating subsequent risk now a high priority.
“That’s why we’re looking forward and saying ‘let’s shut down this infrastructure,’ and quite frankly, let’s hold the Chinese accountable for this,” said Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology.
“From what we see with respect to the level of cybersecurity being implemented in the telecom sectors, those networks are not as defensible as they should be to defend against a well-resourced, capable, offensive cyber player like China.”
Via Reuters