Senior White House officials convened an emergency meeting with telecommunications executives on November 22 to address a major cyberattack linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
This breach, described as the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history” by Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has alarmed lawmakers and industry leaders alike.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan and deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology Anne Neuberger hosted the meeting. They brought together leaders from major telecommunications firms, including AT&T and Verizon, which were among the targets of the large-scale attack.
According to sources, the breach was part of the China “Salt Typhoon” campaign, a broad and sophisticated cyberespionage operation. Hackers reportedly accessed critical telecommunications networks for months, intercepting sensitive data intended for U.S. law enforcement and compromising customer communications.
The Salt Typhoon campaign is just one among several advanced CCP-backed hacking operations targeting the U.S. The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently described the CCP’s cyber efforts as a “broad and significant cyber espionage campaign,” urging potential victims to report incidents.
Intelligence officials believe the breaches aimed to obtain private communications, call records, and sensitive information involving government and political activities.
The Salt Typhoon attack follows a troubling pattern of Chinese cyber operations. Other campaigns, such as Volt Typhoon, have infiltrated critical infrastructure sectors, including energy and transportation. Flax Typhoon targeted consumer devices with malware to create botnets capable of launching further attacks.
Officials have expressed growing concern that these activities are designed to preposition Chinese operatives within U.S. networks, potentially for disruptive actions in times of conflict.
A Growing Crisis
Last month, Vice President-elect JD Vance revealed that his phone was breached by Chinese hackers, speculating that President-elect Donald Trump’s phone may also have been compromised. Vance attributed the attacks to the Salt Typhoon campaign during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
The extent of the damage has prompted calls for immediate action. Lawmakers are urging increased collaboration between the private sector and the federal government. While the CCP employs a unified state-backed strategy for its cyberattacks, U.S. targets often lack cohesive mechanisms for intelligence-sharing across the industry and with government agencies.
“The meeting was an opportunity to hear from telecommunications sector executives on how the U.S. Government can partner with and support the private sector on hardening against sophisticated nation-state attacks,” White House officials said in a statement.
The White House has refrained from naming the telecommunications companies or executives present at the meeting. But it also stressed the urgency of bolstering defenses against state-sponsored attacks. The recent breaches underscore the CCP’s growing cyber capabilities and the need for a coordinated response to protect U.S. interests.
As Beijing continues to deny allegations of hacking, U.S. intelligence, and cybersecurity experts are warning that these attacks signal a shift in the global cyber landscape. Espionage and sabotage increasingly target critical infrastructure and private entities. The stakes, they say, have never been higher.
The meeting is expected to be a first step in fostering greater public-private cooperation to counter these threats. Lawmakers have also requested classified briefings with telecom executives to gain further insights into the attacks and discuss long-term solutions.