Chinese hackers infiltrated nan web of astatine slightest 1 state’s National Guard and remained successful its systems for complete 9 months, a Department of Homeland Security memo says. The findings, arsenic first reported by NBC News, shed caller ray connected nan grade of nan hacking run against nan United States by China’s “Salt Typhoon.”
The June memo, based connected an investigation by nan Department of Defense, says nan Chinese hackers “extensively compromised” an unnamed state’s National Guard web from March to December 2024. The memo was provided to NBC News by nan nationalist information transparency nonprofit Property of nan People, which obtained it done a Freedom of Information Act request.
Sensitive access
“A caller discuss of a US state’s Army National Guard web by People’s Republic of China (PRC)-associated cyber actors—publicly tracked arsenic Salt Typhoon—likely provided Beijing pinch information that could facilitate nan hacking of different states’ Army National Guard units, and perchance galore of their state-level cybersecurity partners,” nan memo reads.
The hackers were capable to access, among different things, “a representation of geographic locations successful nan targeted state, diagrams of really soul networks are group up, and individual accusation of work members,” according to NBC News.
Chinese-government links
Salt Typhoon is nan nickname provided by cybersecurity companies to an elite group of Chinese hackers believed to beryllium associated pinch nan country’s Ministry of State Security.
A National Guard Bureau spokesperson confirmed nan discuss to NBC News, but could not “provide circumstantial specifications connected nan attack” aliases its consequence to it.
“We tin opportunity this onslaught has not prevented nan National Guard from accomplishing assigned authorities aliases national missions, and that NGB continues to analyse nan intrusion to find its afloat scope,” nan spokesperson said.
The Chinese authorities has many times denied immoderate relationship to Salt Typhoon.
The hacking group, described arsenic “the astir progressive and persistent cyber threat” to U.S. institutions by nan U.S. intelligence community, was accused of infiltrating 9 U.S. telecommunications companies successful precocious 2024, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Salt Typhoon is said to person utilized that entree to get nan metadata of calls and matter messages from some erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump’s statesmanlike campaigns.