The FBI and CISA have reported that hackers have breached U.S. telecommunications networks, leading to mitigation efforts and an investigation. The agencies suspect that threat actors affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party are behind the breach, targeting America’s commercial telecommunications sector. There are unconfirmed reports suggesting that former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance may have been among those targeted.
In a joint statement released on Oct. 25, the FBI and CISA announced that they are actively investigating malicious activities aimed at the telecommunications sector. Affected companies have been notified and provided with technical assistance to minimize the impact of the cyber intrusion.
The breach comes amidst a heightened cyber threat environment for U.S. political campaigns in anticipation of the 2024 presidential election. Recent reports have revealed Iranian-linked hackers targeting a high-ranking official within a U.S. presidential campaign.
According to sources cited in a report by The Associated Press, phones used by Trump and Vance were targeted in the latest China-linked attack. However, the reports remain unconfirmed. The Trump campaign responded by condemning the breach as part of a broader effort by Democrats to interfere with the upcoming election.
The U.S. intelligence community has warned of escalating influence campaigns by foreign adversaries ahead of the election, with Russia, Iran, and China seeking to sow discord and division. Social media posts are identified as a common method for these operations, some potentially generated by artificial intelligence.
Foreign interference is expected to persist beyond the election, with concerns raised about cyber operations disrupting election infrastructure. However, direct interference with official vote counts or election processes is deemed less likely due to the risks involved. Please rewrite this sentence.
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