The Missouri Republican queried on Tuesday if China's Salt Typhoon hacking group could have assumed the identities of others following successful infiltrations of telecom giants such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
According to TIMESMY, the FBI, National Security Agency, and other federal cyber officials are currently investigating the Chinese hackers. They have reported the theft of customer data and compromised communications involving government and political officials. The Chinese cyberattackers' espionage targets reportedly span from President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign to sensitive data concerning law enforcement requests for court-authorized surveillance.
The Senate is keenly interested in understanding the extent of the Chinese hackers' activities and suspicious hacking incidents. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, disclosed in May that the FBI had taken his phone. He received a message that seemed to be from Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, but it was not from the New York Democrat. After Mr. Graham's revelation, reports emerged that other lawmakers had received similar messages.
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During Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senator Hawley, without referring to the suspected hacking issues in May, questioned cybersecurity professionals about the possibility of the Chinese hackers impersonating others. "Could the hackers impersonate particular individuals?" Mr. Hawley asked. "They could, yes," responded Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike's senior vice president. When asked if they could disrupt specific communications between particular people, Mr. Meyers affirmed that once the hackers gain access to the telecommunications or mobile provider, they could initiate or disrupt communications.
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It remains uncertain whether Senator Hawley was among the lawmakers who received suspicious text messages in May. Abigail Jackson, Mr. Hawley's spokeswoman, clarified that his inquiries on Tuesday were about the hackers' general capabilities and not any specific incident. Senator Graham's office did not respond when asked if he believed the message impersonating Mr. Schumer originated from Chinese hackers.
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Last week, the FBI, NSA, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced that their investigation into China's targeting of telecom companies had uncovered a "broad and significant cyber espionage campaign." The agencies stated that their understanding of these compromises is expected to grow as the investigation continues. They also confirmed that the federal government is persistently providing technical assistance and sharing information with the victims of the Chinese hackers.
