Chinese telecom breaches won’t sway election outcomes, CISA chief says

Jen Easterly, Director of the Homeland Security Department's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, arrives to testify on Capitol Hill on January 31, 2024. She said during a Monday news conference that materials accessed during the Salt Typhoon hack of U.S. telecom companies are not expected to materially influence the upcoming election. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The recent Chinese infiltration into U.S. telecom networks and affiliated wiretap infrastructure that targeted people closely tied with major presidential candidates’ campaigns is not expected to tip the scales of tomorrow’s election, a top cybersecurity official said Monday.

The hackers, dubbed Salt Typhoon by cybersecurity researchers, have attempted to access the phone communications of presidential campaign officials and their staff. Audio from both the Republican and Democratic campaigns have been picked up in the espionage process, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

CISA Director Jen Easterly dismissed the idea that any ...