Telecom
Hundreds of organizations were notified of potential Salt Typhoon compromise
Some of the exploited vulnerabilities have had fixes available for several years. One provider’s management system was protected with a basic numeric password.
Senate bill would require FCC to issue binding cyber rules for telecom firms
The measure from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. comes in the wake of Chinese-backed hackers breaching a swath of major telecommunications providers.
FCC proposes updates to wiretap security standards following Chinese telecom hacks
Several lawmakers have called for the agency to reform wiretap standards governed by the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or CALEA.
At least 8 US carriers hit in Chinese telecom hacks, senior official says
The hacks carried out by the Salt Typhoon group impacted a couple dozen countries and may have been ongoing for one to two years, the official said.
Senators call for investigation of DOD’s comms following Chinese telecom breach
“DOD’s failure to secure its unclassified voice, video and text communications with end-to-end encryption technology has left it needlessly vulnerable to foreign espionage,” Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote to the Pentagon’s inspector general.
Chinese telecom espionage began with ‘much broader’ aims, officials say
The U.S. has been investigating the Salt Typhoon hackers since late spring and early summer this year, a senior FBI official said.
Chinese hackers used a ‘range of sophisticated methods’ to breach US telecom providers, insider says
Salt Typhoon deployed various methods to break into telecommunications firms that went far beyond a singular run-of-the-mill credential-stealing attempt, according to a person familiar.
White House convened telecom leaders as details of Chinese espionage hack unfold
Many of the breached systems were not properly equipped with tools that recorded network activity, making it harder to quickly trace the origins of the hack, a person familiar said.
FCC leaders skirt call for wiretap security reform, hope to ‘go deeper’ on telecom breach briefings
Lawmakers have called on the agency to take up a rulemaking to rethink wiretapping laws amid the hacks that have ensnared several telecom companies, but top FCC officials have not signaled any forthcoming action yet.
Intelligence community briefed Congress on Chinese telecom intrusions
It’s believed the hackers, dubbed Salt Typhoon, accessed call records on numerous Americans, including officials and staff affiliated with President-elect Trump.
Chinese telecom breaches won’t sway election outcomes, CISA chief says
The top U.S. cyber defense agency has seen “no evidence of activity that has the potential to materially impact the outcome of the presidential election,” Jen Easterly said Monday.
DHS cyber review board to investigate Chinese hack of US telecoms as victim net widens
U.S. government officials and staff on both major presidential campaigns were targeted. One former intelligence official called the breaches “really concerning.”
Featured eBooks
It’s time to rethink how wiretaps work after Chinese hack, experts say
The FCC sought a briefing from national security officials about the infiltration that was reported last Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
T-Mobile to pay fines, pledges to up upgrade cybersecurity after repeat data breaches
The telecom giant will pay $15.75 million to the Department of Treasury and front an additional $15.75 million for cybersecurity improvements and compliance.
FCC to vote on georouting for suicide and crisis lifeline calls
The FCC plans to vote on rules during its Oct. 17 open meeting that would require all U.S. wireless carriers to implement georouting for calls to the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline.
Acting Secret Service head suggests that better tech could have thwarted would-be Trump assassin
Ronald Rowe Jr. told a Senate panel that additional cellular bandwidth and the use of counter-drone technology could have averted the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
In reversal, AT&T says most FirstNet customers impacted in data breach disclosed last week
“We now believe the proportion of FirstNet numbers included in the data is similar to that of our broader customer base,” the company said in a statement.
Dozens of federal agencies’ call data potentially exposed in AT&T breach
AT&T is a prime contractor on the government's $50 billion telecom contract vehicle and supplies infrastructure and bandwidth for the FirstNet public safety communications program.
Return of net neutrality will hamstring some foreign broadband firms, FCC official says
The reclassification of broadband as a Title II service will give the Federal Communications Commission new power over internet service providers, and the agency says it will be a boon to U.S. network security.
2 wireless protocols expose mobile users to spying — the FCC wants to fix that
The protocols are a cornerstone of wireless communications but may contain flaws that enable hackers to tap into Americans’ mobile activities, the agency says.
