Sensitive phone data flows through China

At least 60 mobile operators in 35 countries appear to transport sensitive customer phone data through China-based telecommunications networks, according to a report from iVerify.

Why it matters: Relying on these networks makes customers and travelers more vulnerable to Chinese surveillance, iVerify warns.

Zoom in: Several of these operators are based in U.S.-allied countries, including Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand.

• Each of these operators relies on infrastructure from a range of China-based telcos, including China Mobile International, China Telecom Global, China Unicom Global, CITIC Telecom International and PCCW Global Hong Kong.
• Information moving across the China-based networks includes location updates, internet history and text messages, according to the report.

Between the lines: Mobile operators often use one another's networks to ensure customers have service around the world and to facilitate conversations between people using different phone carriers.

• But unless those communications happen on encrypted apps, it's relatively easy for a hacker or government spy to intercept the contents of these messages and phone calls while they're in transit.
• Several surveillance vendors sell spyware and other tools to help enable this type of espionage.
• "Since its inception, the concept of user privacy for international mobility has been more of an afterthought," iVerify notes in its report.

The intrigue: Companies based in China are subject to laws that require them to share customer information with the government.

The big picture: China has a long history of spying on telecommunications networks and hacking high-ranking officials' phones to gain insights about U.S. operations.

• Last year, the U.S. accused China of targeting several politicians' phones in the Salt Typhoon campaign. The New York Times reported that now-President Trump and Vice President JD Vance were among the targets.

What we're watching: iVerify told Axios it's releasing a new tool tomorrow that will help security teams better secure employees' mobile devices when they're traveling to "risky areas."

• The company is also going to make its telecom infrastructure research, such as last week's report, available in its threat intelligence products to help customers better determine the mobile security risks they're susceptible to.