Trump, Vance's Phone Data Reportedly Compromised By Chinese Cyber Group

Chinese hackers reportedly infiltrated communications networks, targeting the phone data of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).

What Happened: The breach, believed to be the work of a group dubbed Salt Typhoon, has raised national security concerns amid the 2024 presidential campaign. The New York Times reports the hackers aimed to access metadata from calls and messages without obtaining the content.

The Trump campaign was recently informed that their communication lines were compromised, with initial findings indicating potential surveillance of call logs and messaging patterns.

Officials have not determined the full scope of the data accessed or the duration of the infiltration but confirmed that the breach extends beyond campaign-related targets to include other high-profile individuals in government, The Times reports.

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Why It Matters: Experts warn that even if the content of calls or messages wasn't accessed, the ability to monitor communications patterns can offer critical insights to hostile actors. Such information could be weaponized in the final stages of the 2024 election to undermine the campaign or its allies.

Previously, the Trump campaign faced another cybersecurity challenge when Iranian hackers breached its communications, sharing confidential data with independent journalist Ken Klippenstein. The journalist published the materials on social media platform X, which is owned by Elon Musk.

In response, X suspended Klippenstein's account and restricted access to his Substack links for posting "unredacted private information" about Vance. This action drew criticism from lawmakers, with Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) suggesting possible hearings on the collaboration between the campaign and X.

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