Chinese hackers collected audio from unnamed Trump campaign adviser, Washington Post reports

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By Hiba Akbar

An unknown Trump campaign adviser’s audio was accessed by a Chinese hacker.

Key Takeaways

  • The audio was collected from a phone call with a US politician.
  • The Washington Post says Trump’s unidentified campaign advisor was also involved.
  • FBI and CISA commented that an investigation is underway.
  • Hackers were also able to access the individual’s unencrypted communications.

Chinese hacker

The Washington Post reported on Sunday that Chinese state-affiliated hackers had collected audio from phone talks with US politicians, including an unidentified campaign advisor for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

On Friday, the FBI and the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced that an investigation is underway to identify the persons who gained unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure and are associated with a Chinese hacking team.

DDG reported earlier this month that the US asserted that Chinese hackers had gained access to US broadband companies’ networks. In response, a congress of US lawmakers requested AT&T, Verizon Communications, and Lumen Technologies to respond to inquiries, and the Friday deadline also passed.

According to The Post, the hackers were also able to access the individual’s unencrypted communications, such as text messages.

The New York Times reported that the phone numbers of Trump and JD Vance were targeted via Verizon phone system intrusion, and last week Trump’s campaign also acknowledged this sensitive matter.

Verizon said in a statement on Friday that it is cooperating law enforcement and is informed about a sophisticated campaign to target US carriers and collect intelligence.

Last week, the Chinese embassy in Washington stated that while it was unaware of the precise scenario, China condemns and combats all sorts of cyber attacks and theft.

Cyberattacks are entering all the fields as tech is becoming the basic need of working life. Recently, the UN health tech unit was targeted, affecting 100 million people, and recorded as the biggest attack after compromising the sensitive data of patients.

Explore other recent cybersecurity news if you missed any.

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