US Election 2024: Chinese Hackers Allegedly Hacked Trump and JD Vance’s Phone Data, Report Says

Phone details of the former US president Donald Trump and his running mate, a senator from Ohio J. D. VanceIt has reportedly been the target of a cyber espionage operation organized by Chinese hackers as part of intelligence gathering, a US newspaper said on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the national security case, investigators are assessing whether any communications data was accessed or monitored through “hacking of sophisticated telecommunications systems,” the New York Times reported.

Sources involved in the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed to the newspaper that Trump’s team was notified of the hack earlier this week.

The attackers also appear to have targeted prominent figures in the Democratic Party. Staff from the vice president Kamala HarrisThe campaign and prominent figures on Capitol Hill, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, were reportedly among the targets. The revelations underscore the scale of the cyberattack, which Western cybersecurity experts attribute to a hacking group they call “Salty Typhoon.”

The ongoing investigation aims to determine whether hackers are still lurking inside Verizon’s network, gathering intelligence or preparing it for further exploitation, the news report said.

The revelation comes in the final stages of a campaign in which Trump’s team has also been targeted by Iranian hackers, according to Reuters, after the group accused of hacking into the emails of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump managed to release their stolen materials. Hackers believed to be linked to Iran’s Basij militia shared the emails with a Democratic political operative, who published them on the website of his PAC, American Muckrakers, and distributed them to independent journalists. The material contains internal discussions of the Trump campaign with advisers on various election topics, the report said.

A hacking group known as Mint Sandstorm, or APT42, reportedly hacked the accounts of several Trump campaign staffers between May and June. The US Justice Department has charged three Iranian hackers with the hack, warning they still pose a threat to campaign headquarters. If convicted, the hackers face jail time and fines. The report said the leak underscores Iran’s continued efforts to interfere in the U.S. election, despite recent allegations and warnings from Homeland Security. Attempts to contact the accused hackers were unsuccessful.

The FBI and CISA are investigating China’s cyber activity

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a joint statement on October 25 confirming an ongoing investigation into unauthorized access to US telecommunications infrastructure by entities linked to the People’s Republic of China.

His statement read: The US government is investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by entities associated with the People’s Republic of China. After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting this sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, provided technical assistance, and quickly shared information to help other potential victims. The investigation is ongoing and we encourage any organization that believes they may be a victim to contact their local FBI or CISA office. US government agencies are working together to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector.