Salt Typhoon Hacks 'A Wake Up Call' to Secure Telecom Services, Lawmakers Say

The recent Salt Typhoon hacking campaign has left lawmakers calling for increased cybersecurity measures to safeguard U.S. telecommunications infrastructure from a range of outsider threats.

Members of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology made this statement in light of the devastating breach, which allowed Chinese espionage group hackers to access networks of at least nine American telecom operators, law enforcement wiretapping platforms, and dozens of other global telecom providers. The attack also targeted high-profile political individuals, including those linked to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

The Treasury Department recently sanctioned a Chinese firm, Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., for its "direct involvement" with China's Ministry of State Security in the Salt Typhoon infiltrations. This development highlights the importance of safeguarding telecom systems and other communications networks from major cyber threats, particularly those directed by or tied to the Chinese government.

The chairman of the full House panel, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), emphasized that efforts to sabotage undersea cables, which transmit 99% of global internet traffic, as well as threats to satellite communications and vulnerable network gear in U.S. telecom networks, require special attention to protect communications services from disruptions.

"The Salt Typhoon hacks are a wake-up call that drives home the vulnerabilities in our communications networks," said Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. "However, I worry that the White House's disbandment of the Cyber Safety Review Board leaves in limbo the government's probe into the breach."

The Cyber Safety Review Board was established during the Biden administration to investigate major cybersecurity incidents and was in the midst of probing the Salt Typhoon hacks when it was disbanded in January. Lawmakers are now concerned that this development will hinder their ability to assess the damage and work on solutions.

"Salt Typhoon remains active as this administration jeopardizes our government's ability to assess the damage and work on solutions," said Rep. Doris Matsui. "Cutting off that investigation into Salt Typhoon early really limits the telco sector's ability to understand how we can improve."

Laura Galante, who headed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center during the Biden administration, also expressed her concerns about the disbandment of the Cyber Safety Review Board. "Cutting off that investigation into Salt Typhoon early really limits the telco sector's ability to understand from all the different sides of the house – the intelligence side, law enforcement and then victim networks – how we can improve," she said.

"So it really short changes our national security to not have that investigative board available to learn from," Galante added. "I believe this decision will harm efforts to mitigate future cyber incidents."