China has hacked into American power grids and companies for decades, stealing sensitive files and intellectual property such as chip designs. But a sweeping cyberattack by a group known as Salt Typhoon is China’s most ambitious yet, experts and officials have concluded after a year of investigation. It targeted more than 80 countries and may have stolen information from nearly every American, officials said. They see it as evidence that China’s capabilities rival those of the US and its allies. The attack was a years- long, coordinated assault that infiltrated major telecommunications firms and others, investigators said in a joint statement last week. The range of the attack was far greater than originally understood, and officials warned that the stolen data could allow Chinese intelligence services to exploit global communication networks to track targets including politicians, spies and activists. Hackers sponsored by the Chinese govt “are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, govt, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks,” the statement said.British and American officials have described the attack as “unrestrained” and “indiscriminate”. Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain were also signatories to the statement, which was part of a name-and-shame effort directed at the Chinese govt. “I can’t imagine any American was spared given the breadth of the campaign,” said Cynthia Kaiser, a former top official in FBI’s cyber division who oversaw investigations into the hacking. It was unclear whether the Salt Typhoon hack was intended to store ordinary people’s data or if that data was incidentally swept up in the attack. But its scope was broader than previous hacks, in which China more narrowly targeted Westerners working on security or other sensitive govt issues, Kaiser said.The Salt Typhoon hack could signal a new era of Chinese cyber capabilities that will test its strategic rivals, including the US, security experts said. It highlights China’s ambitions for global influence, which were on display on Wednesday at an elaborate military parade in Beijing.The Chinese embassy in London did not respond to a message seeking comment. The statement from Western allies gave the fullest accounting yet of what FBI has called China’s “cyberespionage campaign”. Investigators linked the Salt Typhoon attack to at least three China-based technology companies that have been operating since at least 2019, but the operation was uncovered only last year. The hackers’ goal was to give Chinese officials the “capability to identify and track their targets’ communications and movements around the world,” the statement said. Among the targets were phones used by prominent politicians, including President Donald Trump and Vice-President J D Vance, during their campaign last year. The effort also took aim at Democrats. The attackers stole data from telecommunications and internet service companies, penetrating more than half a dozen US telecommunications companies alone. The hackers were able to listen in on telephone conversations and read unencrypted text messages, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has said. It is not clear how Western countries have responded to Salt Typhoon. nyt
