Chinese hackers collected audio from unnamed Trump campaign adviser - report

Chinese state-affiliated hackers intercepted audio from the phone calls of US political figures, including an unnamed Trump campaign adviser, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

The FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said that they were investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by people associated with China.

The New York Times reported that investigators worked to determine what communications data was taken or observed, and cited anonymous sources. 

Additionally, Reuters reported Friday that Chinese hackers also targeted phones used by people affiliated with the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

It was not known whether the attempts were successful, but the hack likely compromised the phones of two Trump staffers, the Washington Post reported. 

However, the New York Times reported that the information found on phones used by a presidential candidate and their team could provide valuable information to those looking to sow chaos in the US elections. Such information includes who the campaign staffers communicated with, such as who they called or texted, and how often these communications occurred. 

According to the report, the Trump campaign team was targeted by infiltrating Verizon phone systems. Whether or not the hackers obtained access to text messages remains unclear. 

The Washington Post cited someone familiar with the attempts to hack the Harris campaign and would not say whether Harris or Walz had been targeted, but other key Democratic Party leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's staff, were targeted. 

A Trump adviser told the Washington Post that some senior staffers are now using encrypted devices to make basic phone calls. Additionally, two additional Trump family members were targets of the hacking. 

What is 'Salt Typhoon'?

This hack follows previously reported intrusions into US telecommunications providers by a Chinese hacking group, dubbed "Salt Typhoon" by Microsoft, the Washington Post noted. Companies reported to have been breached include AT&T and Verizon.

The White House created a special response team to deal with it. Officials have previously stated that "Salt Typhoon" is connected to China's Ministry of State Security, the main spy agency of China. 

The Washington Post cited a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, who said it was unaware of the attack and would not comment on it, stating, "The presidential elections are the United States' domestic affairs. China has no intention to and will not interfere in the US elections. We hope that the US side will not make accusations."

Previous hacking and hacking attempts linked to the Chinese government have sought sensitive information, the Wall Street Journal reported in September. The hacking attempts hadn't previously been publicly disclosed and are linked to China's army of cyber spies that attempt to break into computer networks globally. 

This also follows previous hacking attempts during the 2024 US presidential election cycle. In late September, the US Justice Department unsealed criminal charges accusing three members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of hacking Trump's presidential campaign, Reuters reported. 

The indictment was the latest effort by the Biden administration to counter foreign efforts to interfere in the presidential election.