US officials have indicated that cybercriminals associated with China may have sought to infiltrate the phones or networks utilized by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, as confirmed by multiple sources familiar with the situation to CBS News, a partner of the BBC in the US.
These sources revealed that the Trump-Vance campaign had been informed that the devices used by Trump and Vance could have been among the targets of a larger cyber assault.
Individuals connected to the Harris-Walz campaign were also reportedly targeted, according to a source who spoke with BBC News.
It remains uncertain how much information, if any, may have been compromised during this incident.
The Department of Justice and the FBI have refrained from commenting on whether any candidates were specifically targeted.
In a joint statement, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced that the US government is investigating the “unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors linked to the People’s Republic of China.”
They noted that once the “malicious activity” was detected, the agencies “promptly notified affected companies, provided technical assistance, and swiftly shared information to aid other potential victims,” emphasizing that the investigation is still ongoing.
“The various agencies within the US government are working together to effectively address this threat and are collaborating with industry partners to enhance cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector,” they stated.
The Trump campaign has attributed the hack to Democrats, alleging without evidence that it was an effort “to obstruct President Trump’s return to the White House.”
According to one source, law enforcement is currently treating the hack as an act of espionage rather than an attempt to influence the campaign.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that US telecommunications companies had been subjected to a hacking incident.
Reports suggest that Verizon was among the companies affected, with the hackers believed to have potentially targeted the data of Trump and Vance through this channel, as initially reported by the New York Times.
Verizon spokesman Rich Young stated that the company is “aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several US telecommunications providers to gather intelligence.” He further indicated that Verizon is collaborating with law enforcement agencies in the ongoing investigation and is taking steps to mitigate any additional issues.
Earlier this year, the Trump campaign was already subjected to a hacking incident. In September, three Iranian nationals associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were charged with intentionally attempting to disrupt a presidential campaign.
US government officials have consistently raised alarms regarding the potential for foreign interference in American affairs, particularly in elections. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan remarked during the summer, “Our adversaries do look at American elections as points to try to influence, to try to undermine confidence in our democracy, to try to put their thumb on the scale. We are clear-eyed about that. And we are doing a lot to push back against it.”
In January, this matter was addressed in Congress, where FBI Director Christopher Wray cautioned that Chinese hackers were poised to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm” to the United States.
