China-linked threat actors remain embedded within U.S. telecom networks, and removing them will necessitate replacing “thousands upon thousands” of network devices, according to the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman.
Senator Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia) revealed to The Washington Post that the Salt Typhoon threat group had infiltrated U.S. telecom systems, with some breaches lasting over a year. Although only 150 victims have been notified so far, Warner warned that the total number of those affected could ultimately reach “millions.”
Warner, a former telecom venture capitalist, called the breaches the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history – by far.”
The telecom network breaches that compromised the U.S. court wiretap system and targeted phone data of high-profile individuals—such as President-elect Donald Trump, running mate JD Vance, top congressional leaders, government officials, and Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign—are still active but demand an extensive remediation effort, according to Senator Mark Warner.
Warner stated that the networks remain compromised, and addressing the issue may require replacing “literally thousands and thousands” of routers and switches across the affected infrastructure.
