US authorities say cybercriminals linked to China may have attempted to access phones or networks used by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, multiple sources familiar with the matter confirmed to the news partner. American news from the BBC, CBS News. .
The sources said the Trump-Vance campaign was alerted that phones used by Trump and Vance may have been among the targets of a broader cyberattack.
People affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign were also targeted, a person close to them told BBC News.
It is unclear how much information, if any, might have been compromised.
The Justice Department and the FBI declined to say whether any candidates were targeted.
A joint statement from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said the U.S. government is investigating “unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People's Republic of China.”
They said that after the “malicious activity” was identified, the agencies “immediately notified affected companies, provided technical assistance, and quickly shared information to help other potential victims,” adding that the investigation was in progress.
“U.S. government agencies are working together to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses in the commercial communications sector,” they added.
Law enforcement is currently treating the hack as an act of espionage, not an attempt to influence elections, a source told CBS.
Earlier this month, it emerged that US telecommunications companies had been targeted in a hack.
One of the companies involved is believed to be Verizon, through which the hackers potentially targeted Trump and Vance's data, according to the New York Times, which first reported the story.
In a statement, Verizon spokesman Rich Young said the company was “aware that a highly sophisticated state actor may have targeted multiple U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence.”
He said Verizon is assisting law enforcement with the investigation and working to resolve any further issues.
The Trump campaign was already the target of a hack earlier this year.
Three Iranian nationals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were indicted in September for deliberately attempting to harm a presidential campaign.
U.S. government agencies and officials have long warned of the threat of foreign interference in the United States, including in U.S. elections.
“Our adversaries view the American elections as points to try to influence, to try to undermine confidence in our democracy, to try to put their thumb on the scale,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this summer . “We are clear on this subject. And we're doing a lot to combat that.”
In January, the issue was discussed in Congress, with FBI Director Christopher Wray warning that Chinese hackers were preparing to “wreak havoc and cause real damage” in the United States.
