China hacked the US telecommunications system

The FBI and CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) announced in a joint statement that a cyber espionage campaign backed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) has had a widespread impact on the US telecommunications sector.
TARGETED TELECOM COMPANIES
Although the FBI and CISA have not officially named the companies affected by the cyber attack, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), major telecom providers such as AT&T, Lumen (formerly CenturyLink) and Verizon were among the companies attacked.
The report stated that Chinese hackers gained access to these companies' networks "for months or longer" and collected internet traffic data involving millions of Americans.
The US government confirmed that these intrusions resulted in "theft of customer call records" and "compromise of private communications of certain individuals." The individuals, whose names have not been disclosed, are mostly involved in government or political activities.
Previous reports have suggested that hackers with links to China targeted the phones of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator J. D. Vance.
According to the statement, the Chinese-backed hacker group known as “Salt Typhoon” also gained access to court-ordered requests for information from U.S. law enforcement agencies. The FBI and CISA have previously launched investigations into unauthorized access by a Chinese-backed group to some telecommunications providers, but it was not clear at the time whether the intrusion resulted in data theft or whether the hackers accessed legitimate wiretapping systems.
The FBI and CISA said they are providing technical support to protect other potential victims and sharing information to strengthen cybersecurity in the commercial communications sector. In this context, organizations that believe they have been attacked are encouraged to contact their local FBI office or CISA.
Statements from US officials highlight the increasing threat posed by Chinese-backed hacker groups to US critical infrastructure.