China targeted phones of Trump, Vance, Harris campaigns

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A broad Chinese hacking campaign against U.S. telecommunication networks targeted the phones of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, two sources familiar with the matter say. Another source told NBC News that people affiliated with the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris were also targeted.

None of the three sources clarified whether campaign devices were successfully compromised or whether China stole their communications. It is unclear who in the Harris campaign was targeted or if others in the Trump campaign were targeted in addition to Trump and Vance.

In a joint statement, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the federal government “is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.”

“After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” the statement said.

The FBI declined to speak about specific people targeted by the campaign.

The U.S. government recently concluded that China has hacked three American telecommunications companies: AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies. Lumen declined to comment. AT&T didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Rich Young, a spokesperson for Verizon, told NBC News, “We are aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence.”

“Along with federal law enforcement, industry peers and third-party cyber experts, we have been and are working to confirm, assess and remediate any potential impact,” Young said.

A broad Chinese hacking campaign against U.S. telecommunication networks targeted the phones of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, two sources familiar with the matter say. Another source told NBC News that people affiliated with the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris were also targeted.

None of the three sources clarified whether campaign devices were successfully compromised or whether China stole their communications. It is unclear who in the Harris campaign was targeted or if others in the Trump campaign were targeted in addition to Trump and Vance.

In a joint statement, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the federal government “is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.”

“After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” the statement said.

The FBI declined to speak about specific people targeted by the campaign.

The U.S. government recently concluded that China has hacked three American telecommunications companies: AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies. Lumen declined to comment. AT&T didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Rich Young, a spokesperson for Verizon, told NBC News, “We are aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence.”

“Along with federal law enforcement, industry peers and third-party cyber experts, we have been and are working to confirm, assess and remediate any potential impact,” Young said.