Data of 1 Million Americans Likely Stolen by Chinese Hackers - Report

Chinese spies have possibly managed to steal data on hundreds of thousands of U.S. mobile phone users, while information about more than 1 million customers has also likely been stolen.
This was reported by ABC News, citing undisclosed sources familiar with the investigation. According to them, top government officials, including at least one cabinet secretary and a top White House Homeland Security adviser, were also targeted. However, per the report, high-profile Americans have been informed that they were potentially targeted.
The sources claim that, at first, Chinese spies focused on mobile phone users in the U.S. capital region. However, later the hackers narrowed their focus to a smaller number of higher-profile Americans. Per the report, in some cases, the spies even obtained audio calls and reviewed their text messages.
It is estimated that the operation, nicknamed Salt Typhoon, which possibly lasted more than a year, might still be ongoing, and the number of victims could increase.
Meanwhile, per other media reports, U.S. officials say they are investigating hackers who compromised the networks of telecommunication companies.
The hack was first publicly announced in October this year, raising concerns about national security and U.S. law enforcement readiness, especially since the effort to steal the data was first detected in late spring of 2024.
In November, the FBI stated that they had identified that China-affiliated actors compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies.
It was even alleged that phones used by the now President-elect Donald Trump and his then-running mate, Senator JD Vance, were also targeted.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, U.S. officials urged Americans to use encrypted messaging apps to better protect their data.
Also, today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency published guidance for network engineers and network defenders on how to protect their networks from the Salt Typhoon.