The US government is investigating unauthorized access to telecommunications infrastructure by Chinese hackers, with targets including the Trump and Harris campaigns.
Campaigns have been notified of possible breaches of cellphones used by former President Trump and his running mate, JD Vance and members of Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
“After the FBI identifies malicious activity targeting the industry, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notify affected companies, provide technical assistance, and quickly share information to help other potential victims,” FBI and CISA they told Fox. News Digital in a joint statement.
The FBI and CISA said the investigation is ongoing and “we encourage any organization that believes they may be a victim to contact their local FBI or CISA office. Agencies across the US Government are working together to mitigate this threat and are working with industry our partners to strengthen cyber defense across the commercial communications sector.”
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Trump's campaign has also previously targeted Iranian hackers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The hackers are believed to be linked to the Chinese government's intelligence service, The Journal reported.
“We are aware that a high-profile national actor has reportedly targeted multiple U.S. telecommunications providers to collect intelligence,” Verizon said in a statement. “Together with law enforcement, industry peers and third-party cyber experts, we are working to verify, assess and remediate any potential impact. Verizon is committed to assisting law enforcement in this investigation. As this is an active investigation, we have no further comment at this time.”
The unnamed officials said investigators were working to determine whether any information was stolen from the campaigns, adding that other people in the US government may have been targeted by the attackers.
The Trump campaign blamed the Biden-Harris administration for the attack.
“This is the continuation of election interference by Kamala Harris and the Democrats who will stop at nothing, including emboldening China and Iran to attack critical US infrastructure, to prevent President Trump from returning to the White House,” said Steven Cheung, director of communications for the Trump campaign. , he told Fox News Digital on Friday.
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Trump's campaign targeted Chinese hackers using phones used by former President Trump and his running mate JD Vance, according to a report. (Ma Yue/VCG via Getty Images)
The latest apparent attack comes months after the Trump campaign said campaign intelligence was targeting Iranian hackers.
In September, three hackers with ties to Iran were indicted in connection with a hacking plot against the Trump campaign.
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The three hackers, suspected of working for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were allegedly “part of a massive hacking campaign that used spear-phishing and social engineering techniques to target and compromise the accounts of current and former government officials, members of the media, non-governmental organizations, and individuals not related to US political campaigns.”
“These documents were illegally obtained from foreign sources against the United States, intended to disrupt the 2024 election and create chaos throughout our Democratic process,” Steven Cheung, Trump's campaign communications director, said in August after Politico reported that the campaign . it was intended for spear fishing.
Members of Harris' team were also targeted in the robbery, according to the report. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital also reached out to Harris' campaign for comment.
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This is not the first election cycle where a foreign power has tried to influence the election by hacking.
In 2016, the Democratic president, Hillary Clinton, and the DNC had their emails infamously hacked by Russia and released through Wikileaks during the election.
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