Chinese hackers appear to have pulled off their most ambitious assault yet on American privacy and intellectual property.
A sweeping, years-long campaign called Salt Typhoon reportedly reached into American networks with an unprecedented scale, according to The New York Times.
The victims included President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and likely almost every other U.S. citizen.
A sweeping cyberattack by a group known as Salt Typhoon is China’s most ambitious yet, experts and officials have concluded after a year of investigating it. It targeted more than 80 countries and may have stolen information from nearly every American.
To steal a line from one… pic.twitter.com/scTcixs4MB
— Mike Gallagher (@RepGallagher) September 4, 2025
“I can’t imagine any American was spared given the breadth of the campaign,” Cynthia Kaiser, a former FBI cyber official, told The New York Times.
The outlet reported that the attack is believed to have infiltrated dozens of countries.
Chinese cyber group Salt Typhoon may have stolen data on nearly every American. The cyberespionage campaign was global, affecting over 80 countries. Stolen data could let Chinese intelligence track targets via telecom networks—politicians, spies, activists.… pic.twitter.com/NiRZHTHBgD
— Lukasz Olejnik (@lukOlejnik) September 5, 2025
Salt Typhoon cyber actors infiltrated the networks of multiple telecommunications companies, recklessly stole personal data belonging to millions of Americans, and in some instances surveilled communications—all in support of the Chinese Communist Party.
The expectation of… pic.twitter.com/nC8qSTbQA5
— FBI (@FBI) August 28, 2025
The hackers reportedly hit major telecommunications firms, transportation systems, lodging networks, government agencies, and military infrastructure.
Is China the biggest threat to US security?
In a joint statement, officials from nearly two dozen counties acknowledged the attack.
The FBI said the campaign had spread to 600 companies in 80 countries.
British and American officials described the Salt Typhoon as “unrestrained” and “indiscriminate.”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment from multiple outlets.
Analysts said the value of the stolen data could fuel artificial intelligence models or enable future cyberattacks.
The attack illustrates “a deeper, troubling reality,” Anne Neuberger, a former U.S. official, wrote in Foreign Affairs.
China’s past hacks have included the Office of Personnel Management breach in 2014 and the 2021 Microsoft email server intrusion.
Salt Typhoon shows the CCP’s playbook, planned since 2019 and spanning 80+ countries. It breached “secure” lines and swept up everyday Americans’ calls. No one wants Beijing listening in. We must boost FBI & local cyber capabilities and build a strong perimeter against CCP…
— Congressman Nathaniel Moran (@RepNateMoran) September 2, 2025
Unlike a previous hacking campaign called Volt Typhoon, which focused on disrupting U.S. critical infrastructure, Salt Typhoon appears to have been a mission to collect vast amounts of personal information beginning in 2019.
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