Chinese Hackers Allegedly Intercept Communications of U.S. Political Figures, Including Trump Adviser

 

According to recent reports, Chinese state-affiliated hackers allegedly accessed private audio and messages from the phones of several U.S. political figures, including an adviser to former President Donald Trump. The Washington Post revealed Sunday that these hackers intercepted audio from a call involving the Trump campaign adviser, along with other unencrypted communications, in what appears to be part of a larger cyber infiltration targeting the U.S. telecommunications sector.

Last week, the Trump campaign was reportedly informed that Trump, along with his running mate, J.D. Vance, was among the individuals targeted in an infiltration of Verizon's phone systems. Although the FBI and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) confirmed they were investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications networks linked to China, they did not specifically mention the Trump campaign.

Other reports indicated that phones used by individuals associated with Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign were also targeted, broadening the scope of the breach beyond Trump’s circle.

Verizon responded to the breach on Friday, acknowledging the sophisticated nature of the attempted infiltration and affirming that it is working closely with law enforcement to mitigate further risks. Congress has since launched an inquiry, requesting major U.S. telecommunications providers, including Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies, to provide information about these security breaches.

The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., responded by stating that it was unaware of the specifics of the incident, reiterating China's opposition to all forms of cyberattacks. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and the FBI have yet to comment on the reported security breaches.

This incident comes after a separate hack on the Trump campaign earlier this year, attributed to members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, who allegedly sought to disrupt the upcoming election. As election day nears, cybersecurity remains a critical concern amid escalating threats to U.S. communications infrastructure.