What to know about Salt Typhoon's latest attack
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Salt Typhoon, the recently uncovered Chinese hacking group, used its access in U.S. telecommunications networks to target former President Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and associates of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to recent reports.
The big picture: Beijing has become more brazen in its attacks on the U.S. government and the country's infrastructure.
- Intertwined trade and economic relationships make it tough for the U.S. to hand down sanctions or respond to these hacks in a meaningful way.
Driving the news: The Washington Post reported Sunday that state-affiliated hackers were able to collect audio from phone calls of U.S. political figures, including a Trump campaign adviser.
- Hackers also collected unencrypted communications, including text messages, per the report.
- The targeting was part of a broader intelligence-gathering effort. Harris campaign associates, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other prominent figures were also targeted, according to reports.
- The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Friday that they were investigating the matter.
- A government advisory board is now planning to investigate the hacks, and the White House has been hosting confidential meetings with compromised telecommunications firms, including Verizon, AT&T and Lumen Technologies.
Threat level: News of even an attempted hack on a presidential candidate's device can further sow distrust in election infrastructure.
- Foreign adversaries have been working hard to foster fear and incite violence around next week's elections.
The other side: Beijing is denying its involvement in the hacks.
Our thought bubble: Election meddling has entered a new era where adversaries unafraid of diplomatic consequences are willing to do anything to cause destruction.
- Disinformation and email hacks are now considered low-hanging fruit.
What we're watching: The fallout from the new attack won't end on Election Day.
- Expect a wave of public agency statements, investigatory reports and new commitments from telecommunications providers in the coming months.
