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Encrypted apps urged by lawmakers amid major Chinese telecom breach
U.S. officials are imploring individuals and companies alike to use encrypted messaging apps in order to minimize the chances of the communist Chinese regime intercepting their communications.
The recommendations coincide with the confirmation by a top U.S. security official this week of a historic state-sponsored hacking campaign that compromised at least eight American telecommunications companies, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Microsoft
dubbed the Chinese group responsible Salt Typhoon. Salt Typhoon, which has been active since at least 3020, is also occasionally referred to as GhostEmperor, Earth Estries, UNC2286 or FamousSparrow.
The Wall Street Journal
first reported on the Salt Typhoon attack in September, noting that the hackers penetrated numerous broadband providers earlier this year, affording them a foothold within the broadband infrastructure with which to access private data and possible launch a ruinous cyberattack.
While exponents of the Chinese regime have repeatedly denied its role in the attack, American officials aren't buying what they are selling.
'Encryption is your friend.'
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI
issued a joint statement last month indicating that the U.S. government's "continued investigation into the People's Republic of China (PRC) targeting of commercial telecommunications infrastructure has revealed a broad and significant cyber espionage campaign."
"Specifically, we have identified that PRC-affiliated actors have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies to enable the theft of customer call records data, the compromise of private communications of a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity, and the copying of certain information that was subject to U.S. law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders," said the agencies.
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.)
stated on Nov. 29, "Salt Typhoon is the worst telecom hack in American history, and demands both a proportionate response to the Chinese Communist Party and increased accountability for U.S. corporations to prevent these intrusions."
Auchincloss suggested to CNN that the hackers were especially brazen, re-asserting themselves in the networks after being discovered.
An unnamed senior FBI official and Jeff Greene, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA,
told NBC News Tuesday that Americans should use encrypted messaging apps.
"Our suggestion, what we have told folks internally, is not new here: Encryption is your friend, whether it's on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication. Even if the adversary is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible," said Greene.
"People looking to further protect their mobile device communications would benefit from considering using a cellphone that automatically receives timely operating system updates, responsibly managed encryption and phishing resistant" multi-factor authentication for email, social media and collaboration tool accounts, said the FBI official.
Greene indicated the networks remained compromised and that intelligence agencies cannot presently "predict a time frame on when we'll have full eviction."
The FBI, CISA, and the National Security Agency published a joint guide Wednesday, titled "Enhanced Visibility and Hardening Guidance for Communications Infrastructure," detailing ways that network engineers and "defenders of communications infrastructure" can harden their network devices against further exploitation by Chinese hackers.
"The PRC-affiliated cyber activity poses a serious threat to critical infrastructure, government agencies, and businesses. This guide will help telecommunications and other organizations detect and prevent compromises by the PRC and other cyber actors," Greene
said in a statement.
'It should never have happened.'
The Biden White House's deputy national security adviser, Anne Neuberger, told reporters this week that none of the impacted companies have "fully removed the Chinese actors from these networks,"
reported the Associated Press.
"So there is a risk of ongoing compromises to communications until U.S. companies address the cybersecurity gaps the Chinese are likely to maintain their access," added Neuberger.
Neuberger added, "We don't believe any classified communications has been compromised."
After intelligence officials briefed members of the U.S. Senate Wednesday, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) reportedly expressed frustration, noting, "They have not told us why they didn't catch it; what they could have done to prevent it."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, "The extent and depth and breadth of Chinese hacking is absolutely mind-boggling — that we would permit as much as has happened in just the last year is terrifying,"
reported Reuters.
The Federal Communications Commission
announced Thursday that it is "taking decisive steps to address vulnerabilities in U.S. telecommunications networks following the Salt Typhoon cyberattack, a sophisticated intrusion linked to foreign state-sponsored actors. These measures aim to safeguard critical communications infrastructure and ensure national security, public safety, and economic resilience in the future."
FCC commissioner Brendan Carr
tweeted, "The Salt Typhoon intrusion is a serious and unacceptable risk to our national security. It should never have happened. I will be working with national security agencies through the transition and next year in an effort to root out the threat and secure our networks."
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