Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Facebook
Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Facebook
Chairman John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi have requested a briefing from the chief executives of Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies regarding a reported cyberattack. The attack, attributed to the Chinese government, allegedly targeted several U.S. broadband providers. According to reports, this breach potentially allowed hackers access to information from systems used for court-authorized network wiretapping.
The lawmakers' letter highlights concerns over the breach, referred to as Salt Typhoon, noting that it represents a significant cybersecurity threat. “Earlier this year, the Select Committee held a hearing focused on another PRC hacking group, known as Volt Typhoon," they wrote. "Taken together with these news reports regarding Salt Typhoon’s apparent compromise of our nation’s wiretap system, it is clear that we face a cyber-adversary the likes of which we have never confronted before.”
The letter outlines specific points for discussion in a proposed closed-door briefing. These include inquiries into when the companies first became aware of the issues described in recent news articles and what measures are being implemented to safeguard systems used by the federal government for wiretapping requests. Additionally, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi seek recommendations on how Congress can assist in enhancing protections against state-sponsored hacking efforts by China.
Further details about this situation can be found in coverage by The Wall Street Journal.
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