US officials have revealed that Chinese government-linked hackers targeted the call and text data of senior political figures, including Eric Trump and Jared Kushner, in a sweeping cyber-espionage campaign. The scale of the attack has raised concerns just days before the US election, with dozens of individuals believed to be impacted.
Former President Donald Trump's son and son-in-law are among the growing list of targets, which also includes Trump himself, his running mate JD Vance, and individuals associated with the Harris-Walz campaign. Additionally, prominent Democrats, such as the staff of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, were also targeted.
Officials describe the scope of the hack as more extensive than publicly known, with ongoing efforts to assess the full impact. In some instances, hackers may have had access to the call and text data of their targets for an extended period. The FBI is actively notifying individuals whose phone data was compromised.
The hacking campaign, believed to have originated from intrusions at US telecom firms AT&T, Lumen, and Verizon, is considered a significant national security threat. Investigators view it as more serious than initially reported and are conducting a thorough investigation.
While the timing of the revelations raises concerns ahead of a crucial election, officials do not believe the hackers are attempting to influence the election directly. Instead, they are focused on gathering intelligence on private communications of senior officials from both parties, likely of interest to Beijing.
Investigators suspect the hackers are also seeking sensitive national security information, including details on wiretap warrant requests made by the Justice Department. The FBI is engaged in a high-stakes investigation into the hacking targeting both the Trump and Harris campaigns.
