Chinese government-linked hackers accessed communications data from phones belonging to Donald Trump's family members and associates, according to a widening investigation reported by The New York Times. The investigation, launched two weeks ago, initially focused on breaches affecting Trump and JD Vance's personal phones. It has now expanded to include Trump's son, Eric Trump, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, among the targets, reports the Guardian.
According to sources from The New York Times, fewer than 100 individuals were targeted in the sophisticated hacking operation, which compromised telecommunications company systems. The targets included members of Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign staff, diplomatic and policy experts, and an aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
FBI investigators have found evidence that audio communications were compromised, with hackers potentially accessing unencrypted text messages and call logs on certain devices. The breach could provide Chinese intelligence valuable insight for potential influence campaigns.
Eric Trump blamed the security breach on the current administration, saying, "Does this surprise anyone? Under Kamala and Biden, China has walked all over our country." His response echoed a Trump campaign spokesman's statement from last week claiming the Democrats would "stop at nothing...to prevent Trump entering the White House."
The Trump campaign was notified that the Verizon network had been infiltrated, potentially exposing personal data linked to the former president, his running mate, and various government officials and private citizens.
US authorities have attributed the targeted breach to actors affiliated with the Chinese government. Western cybersecurity experts point to a group called Salt Typhoon, known for conducting sophisticated operations for Chinese intelligence. US security officials previously blamed the group for accessing the country's telecommunications system earlier this year. Recent discoveries show the hackers were targeting specific cell phone numbers, though it remains unclear whether they could access text messages, particularly those sent through encrypted services.
