In response to what may be the largest telecommunications breach in U.S. history, federal officials are strongly recommending that Americans adopt encrypted messaging apps to protect their communications.
The massive cyberespionage campaign, dubbed "Salt Typhoon," has compromised at least eight major U.S. telecommunications companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies. The White House reports that approximately two dozen countries have been impacted by the breach.
U.S. authorities attribute the attack to China-backed hackers, though Chinese officials deny involvement. The breach allowed attackers to access metadata showing dates, times, and recipients of calls and texts from a large number of customers. In some cases, hackers obtained actual audio recordings of calls and message content from specific targets.
"The Chinese access was broad in terms of potential access to communications of everyday Americans," said Anne Neuberger, U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for Cyber and Emerging Technologies. While the hack appeared focused on prominent individuals, including senior government officials, the full scope remains unknown.
FBI officials emphasize that encryption offers the strongest protection against unauthorized access. "Even if the adversary intercepts the data, encryption makes it impossible to decipher," an FBI representative told NBC News.
Recommended encrypted messaging options include:
- Signal
- iMessage (between iPhone users)
- Google Messages (between Android users)
- Facebook Messenger
The breach remains active, as telecom companies have not fully removed the hackers from their networks. Officials advise using phones with current security updates and implementing multi-factor authentication for enhanced protection.
This incident has sparked renewed focus on communication security, with authorities noting that end-to-end encryption - where only the sender and recipient can read messages - provides the most effective defense against surveillance and data theft.