China May Have Stolen Your Data—and Even Trump’s, Multiyear Probe Finds

China may have stolen data from nearly every American, including President Donald Trump, a yearslong joint investigation by multiple intelligence agencies has concluded.  

The group “Salt Typhoon,” which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, reportedly hacked phones Trump and Vice President JD Vance used last year during the presidential campaign.  

The investigation has uncovered information related to a yearlong, elaborate cyberhack conducted by entities with ties to the CCP. The hack is reported to have targeted more than 80 countries.  

“People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyberthreat actors are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks,” according to a joint statement issue by the investigators last week.  

Numerous nations, including the U.S., Canada, Finland, Germany, and Japan signed onto the statement, which is intended to shed light on China’s actions.

Chinese “actors focus on large backbone routers of major telecommunications providers, as well as provider-edge and customer-edge routers, they also leverage compromised devices and trusted connections to pivot into other networks,” according to the joint statement. “These actors often modify routers to maintain persistent, long-term access to networks.” 

Cynthia Kaiser, a former top official in the FBI Cyber division, oversaw the investigations into the Chinese hacking and said she could not “imagine any American was spared, given the breadth of the campaign,” according to The New York Times.  

The large and meticulous cyberhack reveals “patient, state-backed campaigns burrowed deep into the infrastructure of more than 80 countries, characterized by a high level of technical sophistication, patience, and persistence,” said Jennifer Ewbank, a former CIA deputy director for digital innovation, according to The Times.  

The data China has stolen “ultimately can provide Chinese intelligence services with the capability to identify and track their targets’ communications and movements around the world,” according to the joint security report detailing the Chinese cyberhack.  

China linked cyber-actors, including Salt Typhoon, “exhibit tactics and target selection that extend beyond traditional cyberespionage or intelligence-gathering operations,” according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.  

Chinese backed entities have carried out the hack in such a way that allows hackers to “disrupt critical functions at a time of their choosing,” CISA says.  

In response to the hack, CISA says it is working with various government agencies and other partners to counter “the evolving cyberthreats posed by PRC state-sponsored actors.” 

“CISA is fostering a more secure cyberspace, making it increasingly difficult for PRC threat actors to execute large-scale compromises,” according to the agency.  

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