Chinese hackers are believed to have attempted to breach the cellphones of former President Donald Trump, his running mate Senator JD Vance, and members of Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign, sources familiar with the situation revealed. The cybersecurity threat has raised concerns about the potential compromise of sensitive data, though the extent of access gained, if any, remains unclear. Investigators are currently assessing the situation and working to determine the full scope of the cyber campaign.
According to sources, both the Trump and Harris campaigns were notified of the potential breaches. While it is unclear how much access was gained, the incident has prompted a deeper investigation by the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). A joint statement from the agencies noted that they had "immediately notified affected companies" and provided technical assistance to mitigate further threats. The FBI/CISA statement also confirmed that they were working with private industry to bolster defenses across the commercial telecommunications sector.
A wide-reaching cyberattack campaign, believed to be linked to the Chinese government's intelligence apparatus, reportedly targeted individuals across both political parties. The Trump/Vance campaign was among those informed about the potential threat to their communications. Officials confirmed that the cellphones used by former President Trump and Senator Vance were among the devices targeted. The New York Times was the first to report on the potential breach, noting that the attack is part of a broader hacking campaign aimed at U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.
In response to the news, the Trump campaign quickly placed blame on the Biden-Harris administration, with Steven Cheung, communications director for the campaign, accusing the administration of "emboldening China and Iran" and enabling attacks on U.S. infrastructure to thwart Trump's re-election efforts. Cheung labeled the breach "election interference" by the Democrats. The Harris campaign has yet to issue a formal statement on the attack.
Verizon, one of the telecommunications companies affected by the breach, acknowledged the incident in a statement, confirming that they were working with law enforcement and industry experts to assess and remediate any potential impact from the attack. "We are aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence," the company said. Verizon emphasized its commitment to cooperating with federal authorities in the investigation.
The investigation into the breach has been ongoing for some time, with law enforcement officials notifying various individuals who were targeted as part of the broader hacking campaign. A senior administration official clarified that the FBI and CISA joint statement was planned in advance and was not a direct response to media coverage by The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal.
This latest cyberattack comes on the heels of previous foreign hacking attempts. In September, hackers linked to Iran were indicted for their involvement in a plot to target the Trump campaign. Three hackers accused of working for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been charged with conducting a spear-phishing campaign to compromise the accounts of U.S. government officials and political campaigns. The Trump campaign had previously pointed to this breach as evidence of ongoing foreign efforts to influence the 2024 election.
Cybersecurity has become an increasingly critical concern in U.S. elections, as foreign actors continue to target sensitive data and communications to sway election outcomes. The 2016 election saw a significant breach of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign, which was later linked to Russian hackers. Emails from the DNC were leaked to Wikileaks, causing a major political scandal in the final months of the election.
