US accuses China of vast cyber-espionage campaigns against telecoms

Chinese state-sponsored hackers perpetrated a “broad and significant cyber-espionage campaign” in which they breached multiple telecommunications companies, US officials said in a statement on Wednesday, confirming additional details about cyberattacks with major national security implications.

The hackers infiltrated the networks of multiple telecommunications companies to steal customer call records and compromise the communications belonging to a “limited number” of people in government and politics, officials said. In addition, the attackers copied certain information that was subject to US law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders, the officials said.