(CNN) — Telecom industry leaders met with U.S. national security officials at the White House on Friday, amid growing concerns about China’s long-running cyber espionage campaign targeting the nation’s most senior politicians. .
Hackers have penetrated deeply into some of the largest U.S. telecommunications providers to eavesdrop on phone calls and text messages, but have been difficult to force them out of some networks, according to people briefed on the matter. It turned out that this was the case.
The White House said the meeting was an opportunity for telecom executives to advise the government on how to strengthen defenses against advanced hacking. Each group also shared information regarding operations with each other.
This hack is becoming one of the biggest cyber and national security challenges facing the incoming Trump administration.
In another indicator of growing concerns about cyber espionage, Senate aides say a secret conference with all senators is scheduled for Dec. 4 after Congress returns from recess next month. .
The hack is “by far” the “worst communications hack in the history of our country,” Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat and chairman of the Intelligence Committee, told CNN.
However, the full scope of the hack, who it affected, and the national security implications are still being investigated.
Warner said the FBI notified fewer than 150 victims, most of them in the Washington, D.C., area. However, all of these victims likely called or texted a large number of people, so the number of records accessed by the hackers could be even higher. Warner said hackers could potentially eavesdrop on a specific target’s phone calls for a period of time.
U.S. authorities and private cyber experts continue to tally the number of telecom companies that have been compromised. US broadband and internet providers AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen have all been targeted by hacking efforts, CNN previously reported.
CNN previously reported that the hackers targeted phone communications of high-ranking officials from both the Republican and Democratic parties, including President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, Jared Kushner, and Eric Trump.
China has denied the hacking allegations.
Documents leaked more than a decade ago by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden show that U.S. intelligence agencies also have vast hacking capabilities and have targeted China’s telecommunications sector. .
U.S. officials have long warned about China’s hacking program, which FBI Director Christopher Wray has said is larger than all other major countries’ programs combined.
But these warnings have become even more dire over the past year as concerns grow about a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Chinese government-affiliated hackers “will not and will not stop, because it is part of their most important national goals, and cyber has become one of the most powerful instruments of state power.” ” said Morgan Adamski, executive director of the U.S. Cyber Command, which is responsible for the military’s offensive operations. the Defense Cyber Command said in a speech on Friday.
Adamski said at the Cyberwarcon conference in Arlington, Virginia, that the U.S. government, including the Cyber Command, has offensive and defensive capabilities focused on “undermining and disrupting” China’s cyber operations around the world. He said he was carrying out a targeted operation.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.
