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U.S. telecommunications leader T-Mobile announced on Wednesday that hackers did not gain access to its customers’ call records, text messages, or voicemails amid an ongoing cyberattack affecting various internet and phone service providers.
T-Mobile’s chief security officer, Jeff Simon, stated that the company had identified attempts to breach its systems in recent weeks. He noted that these attempts originated from a connected telecom provider’s network, which has not been disclosed.
“We quickly severed connectivity to the provider’s network as we believe it was — and may still be — compromised,” Simon stated.
Recent reports from The Wall Street Journal indicated that the hacking group Salt Typhoon, allegedly backed by China, had infiltrated T-Mobile along with other major telecom companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen. This was part of a larger espionage initiative that aims to monitor communications of U.S. officials and high-profile individuals, including presidential candidates.
T-Mobile has not definitively identified the hackers, but it reassured its customers.
“We do not see these or other attackers in our systems at this time.”
The company also refrained from ruling out previous breaches but asserted that its cybersecurity measures successfully prevented access to sensitive customer data.
“We have robust technical means, including logs, to be able to identify threats and activity on our systems. It was this type of telemetry that enabled us to quickly identify suspicious activity and take action to protect our systems and customers.” T-Mobile spokesperson Michelle Jacob added.
T-Mobile has invested in boosting its cybersecurity infrastructure over recent years due to multiple data breaches that previously exposed millions of customers’ personal information. The U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA and the FBI issued a public warning last week regarding the targeting of telecom companies by China-affiliated hackers as part of a widespread cyber espionage campaign to wiretap systems mandated by U.S. law.
U.S. officials have connected the Salt Typhoon operations against telecoms to an extensive strategy by China to prepare for potential disruptive cyberattacks in case of future conflicts with the United States, such as a possible invasion of Taiwan.