In recent years, cybersecurity issues have received increasing attention around the world, and the recent exposure of hacker attacks has further aroused people's concerns about national security. According to informed sources, the family of former US President Trump and many officials of the current Biden administration and the State Department have become targets of hacker groups linked to China. It is reported that these hackers have successfully hacked into the network systems of several telecommunications companies with the intention of stealing the communication information of senior officials.

The complexity of the hacker operation has aroused national security vigilance

This hacker operation is not only complex, but also large-scale, and the target list includes a large number of well-known people and experts in the political and diplomatic fields. National security officials have expressed great concern and launched relevant investigations. It is understood that the number of targets of the hacker attack has not exceeded 100, but the identity and role of each person on the list are extremely sensitive. These hackers seem to have specially selected individuals of strategic value to the Chinese government, especially those who are involved in policy making or have important diplomatic information.

The target list includes Trump and his family, especially his son Eric Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The mobile devices they use have become the focus of hacker attacks. In addition, members of the campaign team of current Vice President Kamala Harris and some government and policy experts have also been included in the hacker's target list. Although it is not clear what information the hackers obtained from these personal devices, the national security department is deeply concerned about the scope of the incident.

Trump's response

Eric Trump publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the hacking incident and tried to blame the Biden administration. He said in a statement: "Under the leadership of Biden and Kamala, China's activities are rampant in our country, and the security vulnerabilities of the telecommunications network are obviously not being effectively dealt with." However, Kushner's team did not comment on the incident, and Trump's campaign spokesman emphasized that Trump will "unwaveringly defend the United States from any intrusion by external forces."

In fact, the Trump campaign team was informed by the US authorities last week that their communication equipment may have been hacked. In particular, Ohio Senator JD Vance, who is running with Trump, is also considered one of the targets of the attack. Several Democratic officials, including an assistant to New York Senator Chuck Schumer, are also on the hacker list.

Investigation by the FBI and national security departments

Currently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other national security agencies are still conducting in-depth investigations into the hacking incident. They said that hackers are very likely to have successfully obtained unencrypted text messages and call records on the victim's device. More worryingly, there is evidence that the hackers may have also stolen some audio communications data, although it is not clear whether it was voicemails or calls.

The hacking activities have been traced to a hacker group called Storm Typhoon, which is said to provide support to Chinese intelligence services. Western cybersecurity experts have blamed the hacking on the group and warned that more details may be revealed as the investigation deepens. It is worth noting that the attackers appear to have very advanced technical capabilities and are able to exploit vulnerabilities in telecommunications systems to launch complex intrusions.

Security vulnerabilities in US telecommunications networks

The hacking attack has triggered widespread concerns in the US government about security vulnerabilities in telecommunications networks. National security officials revealed that as early as the beginning of this year, they discovered that the Salt Typhoon group had successfully hacked into the US telecommunications network. The discovery has made security departments within the government highly nervous because security vulnerabilities in mobile communication networks may put national secrets at great risk.

In particular, surveillance data collected under the framework of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) may have been used by hackers to obtain high-level surveillance information of the US government on terrorists and spies. Until recently, investigators gradually discovered that the hacker group's goals were far more than that. They even launched more direct attacks on specific phone numbers of senior US government officials and their assistants.

At present, the FBI and relevant departments are still stepping up analysis of the full impact of the hacker attack, trying to confirm what information the hackers obtained from these hacked devices. The US government is also considering taking stricter security measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.

This hacker incident not only triggered widespread discussion on US national security, but also once again emphasized the importance of cybersecurity worldwide. With the development of technology, cyber confrontations between countries are becoming increasingly complex, and governments and companies must strengthen their protection measures to deal with these evolving threats. This hacker attack on US politicians may be just the tip of the iceberg in the global cyber war, and greater challenges are still waiting for us ahead.