Chinese Hacker Group Salt Typhoon Continues Telecom Breaches Despite Sanctions

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The Chinese hacker group Salt Typhoon remains active in breaching telecommunications networks, including two US telecoms, despite increased scrutiny and sanctions from the US government. A report by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, released on February 13, 2025, detailed the group's unauthorized access to five telecom and internet service providers globally, as well as over a dozen universities in locations ranging from Utah to Vietnam within the previous months.

Levi Gundert, head of Recorded Future’s Insikt Group, stated, "They’re super active, and they continue to be super active." The hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in the web interfaces of Cisco’s IOS software, which operates on Cisco routers and switches. This has allowed them full control over critical network equipment, with Gundert warning that managing to breach communication infrastructure gives them "the keys to the kingdom."

Following disclosures of their operations, US authorities, including the FBI, have described Salt Typhoon's activities as China's most significant cyber-espionage campaign. Despite this, no substantial decrease in the frequency of attacks has been observed since the group's high-profile exposure.

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