New report reveals China stole data from nearly every American in massive cyberattack

By lauraharris // 2025-09-08

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A sweeping cyberattack by China-linked group Salt Typhoon compromised personal data and critical infrastructure, stealing information from nearly every American and targeting over 80 countries worldwide.
The hackers accessed communications from major U.S. political figures, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, during the 2024 campaign, compromising text messages and phone calls.
The attack, described as Beijing’s most ambitious yet, infiltrated telecommunications, military, government and hospitality networks, with tactics that enabled real-time surveillance and data collection.
In response, CISA released a public advisory outlining a shift in Chinese cyber operations, from espionage to gaining control over U.S. operational systems like power grids, pipelines and water treatment facilities.
CISA, in coordination with the NSA and FBI, has launched a comprehensive effort to strengthen U.S. cyber defenses through private-sector collaboration, advanced threat detection tools and sector-specific protections.

A new report has revealed that China has stolen data from nearly every American, targeting everything from personal communications to critical infrastructure. According to a rare joint statement issued by officials from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and Finland, the attack targeted over 80 countries and infiltrated telecommunications, government, military, transportation and hospitality networks. Salt Typhoon, a state-sponsored hacking group, successfully penetrated at least six major U.S. telecommunications providers, giving Chinese intelligence services the ability to monitor global communications, track the movements of key individuals and collect massive amounts of personal data. Brighteon.AI's Enoch echoed a similar statement, noting that the group's activities have involved the theft of call records and private communications from individuals with government or political ties. (Related: China has stolen enough data to have files on every single American, warns former deputy national security advisor.) Among the most concerning revelations is that Salt Typhoon's operatives accessed data linked to high-profile figures, including U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, during their 2024 election campaign. Text messages, phone conversations and other unencrypted communications were reportedly compromised. But the attack extended far beyond political and intelligence circles. Officials said the hackers likely swept up data from millions, possibly hundreds of millions, of ordinary Americans, though it's still unclear whether the general public was an intended target or collateral damage in a broader espionage operation. The cyberattack has been described as the most ambitious and far-reaching digital operation ever conducted by Beijing, which lasted years and went undetected until recently.

CISA warns of escalating Chinese cyber threats, launches major initiative to protect U.S. critical infrastructure

In response to the breach, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released a new public advisory outlining the growing cyber threats posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The advisory, part of CISA's broader "Nation-State Threat" initiative, highlights an alarming shift in the behavior of Chinese-linked groups like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon, whose tactics have evolved beyond espionage and are now aimed at gaining operational control over U.S. systems. CISA, along with the NSA and FBI, has assessed that Chinese cyber actors are increasingly targeting the information technology systems that underpin U.S. critical infrastructure and are actively moving laterally into operational technology (OT) environments. These systems control essential services such as power grids, telecommunications, transportation, pipelines and water treatment facilities. To address the escalating threat from Chinese state-sponsored cyber actors, CISA has launched a broad national and international initiative to bolster U.S. cyber defenses. This effort includes enhanced collaboration with private sector partners to detect and block threats at the network edge, expanded deployment of advanced cybersecurity tools to counter known vulnerabilities and targeted efforts to secure increasingly critical cloud environments. CISA is also working closely with Sector Risk Management Agencies and infrastructure operators to develop tailored protections for high-risk sectors such as aviation, pipelines, and water systems. "CISA is actively countering the evolving cyber threats posed by PRC state-sponsored actors through strategic initiatives to strengthen the defense of U.S. critical infrastructure. By working closely with U.S. government agencies, international partners and industry stakeholders, CISA is fostering a more secure cyberspace, making it increasingly difficult for PRC threat actors to execute large-scale compromises," the agency wrote. Watch this video about how the Chinese Communist Party uses TikTok to infiltrate and surveil America.

This video is from the channel Chinese Taking Down Evil CCP on Brighteon.com.

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CISA warns of escalating Chinese cyber threats, launches major initiative to protect U.S. critical infrastructure

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