Salt Typhoon cyberattack accessed a “large amount of records” from companies.
Federal officials are calling on communication companies to improve encrypted messaging to prevent future hacks, responding to the aftermath of a massive cyberattack in October.
A Chinese hacking campaign, which Microsoft labeled Salt Typhoon, targeted eight U.S. telecommunication companies and multiple international organizations at once. While Salt Typhoon was not able to access all the companies’ information, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found that hackers still stole “a large amount of records,” including private messages sent between consumers.
The FBI National Security Administration (NSA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint guide this week urging companies to implement encryption within their private messaging services.
“Our suggestion, what we have told folks internally, is not new here: Encryption is your friend, whether it’s on text messaging or if you have the capacity to use encrypted voice communication. Even if the adversary is able to intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it will make it impossible,” said Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at CISA Jeff Greene.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Director Greene and CISA officials as they seek to guide companies in encryption.
- For FBI and other federal law enforcement as they investigate the breadth of the hacking campaign.
Sources: The Hill, Daily Wire
