A ninth telecom company has been preyed upon, breached in a large Chinese spying campaign that gave Beijing officials access to private texts and phone calls of some Americans, a top White House official said on Friday (Dec 27). 

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According to the Biden administration officials, at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon earlier this month. Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger announced on Friday that a ninth company was found as a victim after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese perpetrators in their networks. 

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This update from Neuberger is the latest update of the massive hacking operation, which further raised serious concerns among national security experts, revealing cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and showing the advanced hacking tactic skills of China. 

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Hacker’s ploy: Officials probe into the matter 

The hackers endangered the networks of telecommunication to steal the call records of customers and access the private conversations of some individuals. The officials believe that US government officials and renowned political figures are among those whose communications were obtained, although the FBI has not publicly identified the victims. 

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As reported by ABC, Neuberger said on Friday that the officials are unaware of the Americans who were affected by the Salt Typhoon hacking campaign. She also said that some heedful techniques are used by Chinese hackers, but a "large number" of victims were in the Washington-Virginia area.

The hackers’ goal, according to officials, was to figure out who owned the phones and, if they were "government targets of interest," to spy on their texts and phone calls.

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Neuberger’s advice to strengthen cybersecurity measures 

Anne suggested a dire need to strengthen cybersecurity measures in the telecommunications industry. The Federal Communications Commission is planning to discuss the issue in Jan. She also mentioned that the government is preparing additional actions to respond to the hacking campaign, but she did not provide details.

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“We know that voluntary cybersecurity practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia, and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has dismissed any involvement in the hacking.

(With inputs from agencies)