U.S. authorities say cybercriminals linked to China may be trying to hack into phones or networks used by former President Trump and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, multiple people familiar with the matter confirmed to BBC America’s news partner CBS News.
The Trump-Vance campaign has been warned that phones used by Trump and Vance could be among the targets of a broader cyberattack, sources said.
People associated with the Harris-Walz campaign were also targeted, a person familiar with the matter told BBC News.
It’s unclear how much information, if any, may have been leaked.
The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment on whether candidates were targeted.
joint statement The FBI and CISA said the U.S. government was investigating “unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by affiliates of the People’s Republic of China.”
Upon discovering “malicious activity,” the agencies “immediately notified affected companies, provided technical assistance, and quickly shared information to assist other potential victims,” they said, adding that investigations were ongoing.
“U.S. government agencies are working together to proactively mitigate this threat and coordinate with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications spectrum,” they added.
The Trump campaign blamed the hack on Democrats, claiming without evidence it was an attempt to “prevent President Trump from returning to the White House.”
A source told CBS that law enforcement currently views the hack as an act of espionage rather than an attempt to influence the campaign.
Earlier this month, news emerged that U.S. telecommunications companies were being targeted by hackers.
According to the New York Times, which first reported the matter, one of the companies said to be affected is Verizon, through which it is believed the hackers may have targeted Trump and Vance’s data.
Verizon spokesman Rich Young said in a statement that the company is “aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence.”
He said Verizon is assisting law enforcement agencies with their investigation and working to resolve any further questions.
The Trump campaign was targeted by hackers earlier this year.
In September, three Iranians with ties to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were charged with deliberately trying to undermine the presidential campaign.
U.S. government agencies and officials have long warned of the threat of foreign interference in the United States, including in U.S. elections.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said this summer: “Our adversaries do view U.S. elections as key to trying to influence, trying to undermine confidence in our democracy, trying to put their thumb in the scales.” “We are very aware of this. We are doing a lot of things to fight back against it”.
Congress took up the issue in January, with FBI Director Christopher Wray warning that Chinese hackers were preparing to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm” in the United States.
