Chinese Hacker Group Salt Typhoon Continues Telecom Attacks Despite Sanctions

The Chinese hacker group known as Salt Typhoon persists in its aggressive cyber intrusion activities, exploiting vulnerabilities in Cisco routers to breach global telecommunications networks, including at least two more U.S. telecom firms. According to cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, the group, which has previously infiltrated nine U.S. telecoms, has now accessed five telecommunications and internet service providers globally, along with over a dozen universities from countries like the U.S., Argentina, and Vietnam. Researchers identified more than 12,000 exposed Cisco devices online, focusing their attacks on vulnerable networks.

Levi Gundert, head of Recorded Future's research team, stated that the group remains "super active" despite extensive media coverage and U.S. sanctions, including an action against a firm allegedly linked to the group. In response to growing concerns, U.S. officials, including former FBI director Christopher Wray, remarked that these breaches represent one of China's most significant cyber-espionage campaigns. Meanwhile, Cisco urges customers to update their systems in light of the identified vulnerabilities.