The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has stepped up its efforts to track down and prosecute members of the notorious hacking group, Salt Typhoon. This group, sponsored by the Chinese government, successfully compromised multiple US telecom companies, allowing them to eavesdrop on phone calls and read text messages for virtually any customer of those telecoms.
Salt Typhoon's malicious activity has been described as one of the worst telecom hacks in US history, with Senator Mark R. Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, calling it "the worst telecom hack in our nation's history — by far." The FBI is now offering a substantial reward for information about any government-affiliated Salt Typhoon members.
The FBI is urging the public to report any information they may have about Salt Typhoon activity, particularly if it involves specific individuals behind the campaign. Investigation into these actors and their activities has revealed a broad and significant cyber campaign aimed at leveraging access into these networks to target victims on a global scale.
This campaign resulted in the theft of call data logs, a limited number of private communications involving identified victims, and the copying of select information subject to court-ordered US law enforcement requests. The FBI and US Government partners have previously released public statements on Salt Typhoon activity, including two key announcements: one on October 25, 2024, and another on November 13, 2024.
The FBI has also published a guide, "Enhanced Visibility and Hardening Guidance for Communications Infrastructure," on December 3, 2024. This effort is part of the FBI's commitment to protecting the US telecommunications sector and the individuals and organizations targeted by Salt Typhoon by identifying, mitigating, and disrupting the malicious cyber activity.
The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program is also offering a reward of up to $10 million (USD) for information about foreign government-linked individuals participating in certain malicious cyber activities against US critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).
The FBI is making it easy for possible tipsters to provide information, offering both Signal and Tor as contact options. If you have any information on Salt Typhoon, you can contact your local FBI field office, file a report on the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov, or submit your tip to RFJ on Signal at +1-202-702-7843 or via the RFJ Tor-based tip line: he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion (Tor browser required).
The US government's response to this attack is a clear indication that they take Salt Typhoon seriously. Senator Warner's statements highlight the severity of the situation, with him saying "My hair's on fire" and emphasizing the need for transparency about just how bad this was. The Chinese government's efforts to infiltrate telecom systems around the world, exfiltrating huge amounts of data, is an ongoing concern.