US identifies ninth telecom firm impacted by Chinese cyberattacks

Investing.com — A ninth US telecommunications company has been identified as a victim of a broad Chinese espionage effort, according to a White House official on Friday. The official also revealed that further measures are being planned to counteract cyberattacks originating from Beijing.

The Biden administration continues to uncover the extent of the so-called Salt Typhoon breach, which has been attributed to China. The blame is being placed on companies that were slow to detect the cyberattack. Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, criticized these companies for neglecting basic cybersecurity measures.

“China is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States. Those are private sector companies, and we still see companies not doing the basics,” Neuberger stated on Friday. She added that the US is looking to “lock down this infrastructure” and hold China accountable for these cyberattacks.

Earlier this month, the Commerce Department proceeded with a ban on China Telecom (NYSE:CHA). Neuberger confirmed that similar actions against other entities will be announced within the next month. One of the nine breached telecoms had an administrator account with access to over 100,000 routers. When this account was compromised by the Chinese, they gained broad access across the network.

The exact number of Americans targeted by these breaches remains uncertain, according to Neuberger. A significant number of individuals in the Washington, DC, and Virginia area were affected, but fewer than 100 individuals’ phone calls and texts were hacked.

The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on a rule in mid-January aimed at bolstering the protection of America’s critical infrastructure. The General Services Administration is also reviewing government contracts to enforce better cybersecurity practices.

Neuberger also highlighted a worrying surge in health-related hacks that exposed Americans’ health-care information, making them susceptible to blackmail. The Department of Health and Human Services is expected to propose new rules to safeguard medical data in response to this threat.

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