‘Cyber-espionage operation’: Reporter on what data was targeted by Chinese hackers on Trump's phone

(CNN) — Chinese government-linked hackers have targeted the phone communications of former President Donald Trump and vice presidential nominee JD Vance as part of a much broader cyber-espionage effort aimed at high-level US targets, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The Chinese hackers also targeted people affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign, another source familiar with the matter told CNN. Senior Biden administration officials were also targeted, one of the sources said.

US officials informed the Trump campaign this week that Trump and Vance were among a group of people whose phones were targeted by the Chinese hackers, one of the sources said.  In a statement, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung attacked the Harris campaign for allegedly emboldening China.

It was not immediately clear what data, if any, the hackers were able to access. Phone communications of current and former senior US officials are coveted by foreign spies.

“The U.S. Government is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China,” the FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a statement on Friday.

After the FBI identified the hacking targeting telecommunication firms, the FBI and CISA “immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” the statement continued, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

The New York Times first reported on the hacking targeting Trump and Vance’s phones.

The activity is part of a much broader Chinese hacking campaign that has infiltrated multiple US telecommunications firms in the last several months. Investigators believe the hackers are likely searching for sensitive national security information, including, in some cases, information on wiretap warrant requests made by the Justice Department, CNN previously reported.

In this case, there is no indication that the hackers’ search for data on Trump and Vance related to US law enforcement activity, the sources said.

Major US broadband and internet providers AT&T, Verizon and Lumen are among the hackers’ targets, CNN has reported.

People probing the intrusions have been struck by the hackers’ skill, persistence and ability to burrow into computer networks, the sources briefed on the matter have told CNN. The Chinese hacking team in question is known in the cybersecurity industry as Salt Typhoon.

US officials have briefed members of the House and Senate intelligence committees on the Chinese hacking campaign.

“This is a very serious breach that the committee is monitoring on a daily basis,” Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who chairs the intelligence committee, told CNN earlier this month.

The House Homeland Security Committee is also investigating the hacking.

“It’s a very concerning cyber breach,” Rep. Mark Green, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the committee, told CNN in a separate interview this month. “It is broad and it is deep”

The Chinese government has denied the allegations.

The news comes as China, Iran and Russia continue to try to influence or monitor different aspects of the US election. China has not mounted a concerted effort to influence the presidential election, but has targeted at least 10 congressional, state or local election races with covert social media campaigns, according to US intelligence agencies.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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