WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Chinese hackers have accessed U.S. telecommunications networks, including wiretap systems used for lawful surveillance, in a major cyber-attack that has sent alarm across government and cybersecurity circles. The breach, targeting the major service providers like Verizon, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies, allegedly allowed the attackers to siphon vast amounts of internet traffic, which had been collected from up to 226 million internet access records, CyberScoop reported. The source of information on cybersecurity added that very sensitive data was obtained using wiretap orders authorized by U.S. courts for national security purposes.

The group identified as “Salt Typhoon” has ties with the government of China. US intelligence officials believe that this was a part of an intelligence-gathering campaign aimed at acquiring intelligence information. Sources indicate that the hack allowed the group to observe perhaps intercept communications under the surveillance authority of US authorities and carried a huge national security risk for the country.

The analysts believe the attack had occurred undetected for months and it remains to be understood which classified information or sensitive data have been compromised. Even if the foreign intelligence surveillance systems meant to monitor communications from suspected adversaries from foreign areas have been affected, is not known, although the experts are being cautious that the breach may have a far-reaching impact by affecting not only U.S. citizens but international communications generally.

Responding to the nature of damage that could be done, Brandon Wales made a comment. He is a cybersecurity expert and former executive director at CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency). “This breach has the hallmarks of an espionage campaign with deep access into critical communication infrastructure. It’s a wake-up call for both companies and the government to strengthen their defenses,” Wales said.

Chinese officials dismissed the charges, while Chinese Embassy spokespeople in Washington D.C. denied their involvement in the attack. They charged the U.S. with circulating disinformation and perpetuating a “false narrative” to justify increased government cybersecurity funding and contracts.

U.S. investigators, along with private cybersecurity firms like Microsoft, are still investigating the breach, aiming to determine the full scope of the intrusion and to prevent similar future events.

It’s part of a larger trend in what the United States has categorized as cyber attacks orchestrated by Chinese state-sponsored groups on U.S. infrastructure-attacks which have multiplied over the last couple of years.