U.S. Claims Chinese Hackers Have Breached Major Telecoms Firms

According to US security officials, Chinese government-backed hackers have breached "important telecommunications corporations," among a variety of targets globally, by exploiting known software holes in routers and other popular network networking hardware (Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Manila), Sean Lyngaas reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: The National Security Agency (NSA)

The FBI, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have issued an advisory warning that, "These devices are often overlooked by cyber defenders, who struggle to maintain and keep pace with routine software patching of Internet-facing services and endpoint devices."

The hacker victims were not identified in the agencies' statement because the advisory was aimed at defensive measures to help firms using Cisco, Fortinet, and other vendors shore up their networks.

"To kick the Chinese hackers out, we must understand the tradecraft and detect them beyond just initial access," tweeted Rob Joyce, an official who has spent decades at the NSA and who is well respected in the cybersecurity community.

This is the latest in a series of public warnings issued by US cybersecurity officials in an attempt to mitigate the impact of foreign operatives attempting to infiltrate key computer networks and harvest data for spying or other purposes.

The Chinese government routinely denies these hacking allegations.

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