(Reuters) – Chinese hackers accessed the networks of U.S. broadband providers and obtained information from systems that the federal government uses for court-authorized wiretaps, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Verizon Communications (NYSE:), AT&T (NYSE:) and Lumen Technologies are among the telecommunications companies whose networks were breached by the recently discovered intrusion, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The hackers could have had access for months to the network infrastructure used by the companies to cooperate with requests for communications data authorized by US courts, the newspaper said. He said hackers had also accessed other stretches of Internet traffic.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In the past, Beijing has denied claims by the U.S. government and others that it has used hackers to break into foreign computer systems.
Verizon Communications, AT&T and Lumen Technologies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Wall Street Journal said the attack was carried out by a Chinese hacking group with the aim of gathering intelligence. American researchers have dubbed it the “Salt Typhoon.”
Earlier this year, U.S. law enforcement took down a major Chinese hacking group dubbed “Flax Typhoon,” months after confronting Beijing over extensive cyber espionage under a campaign called “Volt Typhoon.”