Chinese Hacking Group Salt Typhoon Hacks US House Staff Emails
Published
Key Takeaways
- System Breach: The Salt Typhoon reportedly compromised the email systems of staff members on key U.S. House of Representatives committees.
- Targeted Committees: The cyberespionage campaign targeted aides on influential panels, covering China, foreign affairs, intelligence, and the armed services.
- Intrusion Details: The intrusions, detected in December, involved accessing email systems, though it remains unclear whether lawmakers' personal emails were accessed.
A sophisticated Chinese cyberespionage actor, identified as the Salt Typhoon hacking group, has reportedly breached the email systems used by staffers on several powerful U.S. House of Representatives committees. The campaign, which was first detected in December, represents a significant intrusion into sensitive U.S. political and national security communications.Â
The incident is reported to be part of an ongoing state-sponsored campaign aimed at American legislative bodies, linked to the Ministry of State Security (MSS), China’s intelligence service.
Details of the Congressional Email Breach
According to Financial Times, the attack specifically targeted unnamed staff members of the House China committee, as well as aides working on the foreign affairs, intelligence, and armed services panels.Â
While the full extent of the data exfiltration is not yet public, individuals familiar with the matter allegedly said it is unclear whether the attackers accessed lawmakers’ emails.Â
Official responses have been limited, Reuters reported, with the FBI declining to comment and the Chinese Embassy denying the allegations as "unfounded speculation."
Ongoing Chinese Cyberespionage
The House China committee hack was attributed to the Salt Typhoon hacking group. The threat actor is a known entity within the U.S. intelligence community, previously accused of gathering data on American telecommunications.Â
U.S. authorities have previously taken action against individuals and companies allegedly linked to Salt Typhoon, including imposing sanctions early last year.Â
This U.S. congressional email breach is another example of cyber espionage targeting lawmakers and their staff, who are considered high-value targets for foreign intelligence collection.Â
In November, Australia’s spy chief warned that Salt Typhoon probed the country’s Infrastructure.
In October, the British intelligence service MI5 warned U.K. politicians of state-sponsored cyberespionage threats from China, and the cybersecurity firm F5 disclosed a breach linked to China-backed nation-state threat actors.
July reports revealed that the U.S. National Guard was hacked by Salt Typhoon, which had lurked within for almost a year.
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