Senators Express Outrage at Response to 'Disturbing and Widespread' Chinese Cyberattack on US Telecoms
Sen. Josh Hawley emphasized the importance of public awareness regarding the breach, stating, “I think the American people need to know the extent of the breach here, I think they will be shocked at the extent of it.”
TroibNews 
Senators are expressing outrage over the Biden administration’s handling of a significant hack linked to the Chinese government, which they describe as the “most disturbing” telecommunications breach in history.
The infiltration was executed by a group called Salt Typhoon, affecting numerous telecommunications companies, including hacking phones of officials such as President-elect Donald Trump, and potentially allowing eavesdropping on calls of a large segment of the U.S. population.
On Wednesday, officials from agencies including the FBI, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency visited Capitol Hill to brief senators on the breach’s latest intelligence. Following the briefing, some lawmakers were visibly upset.
“There’s no accountability in anybody sitting up there,” Sen. Rick Scott told reporters after the briefing. “They have not told us why they didn’t catch it, what they’ve done to prevent it.”
“If somebody came to my office and said, ‘Hey look, something bad happened, don’t worry, I’m responsible for it, but I’m not going to be responsible for it, and I don’t have any plan to fix it,’ what would you do? You’d fire them,” he added.
Sen. Josh Hawley emphasized the enormity of this breach, calling it “breathtaking” and advocated for the declassification of more information regarding the incident.
“I think the American people need to know the extent of the breach here, I think they will be shocked at the extent of it,” Hawley said. “I think they need to know about their text messages, their voicemail, their phone calls. It’s very bad, it’s very, very bad, and it is ongoing.”
This sentiment of frustration was echoed across party lines as well. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, a former telecommunications executive, criticized the companies for leaving “gaping holes” in critical systems’ security.
“I think there is huge concern, far and away the worst telecom hack, and the fact is that they are still in the systems,” Warner told reporters.
On Tuesday, officials from CISA and the FBI provided reporters with updates on the investigation, highlighting that they are collaborating with telecommunications companies to address the breach. While they have been monitoring the situation since it was first detected in the spring, the full scope of the infiltration remains unclear.
“It’s the most disturbing and widespread incursion into our telecommunications systems in the history of the world, not just the country, because of how massive our telecommunications systems is,” Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday. “That’s about as bad as it gets.”
In response to the hacking incident, the administration is actively addressing the breach. Following the briefing, CISA Director Jen Easterly announced that the Department of Homeland Security-led Cyber Safety Review Board would formally investigate the incident in a meeting scheduled for Friday. The CSRB includes both federal agencies and private sector representatives and focuses on major cyber breaches. Easterly anticipates that recommendations regarding the response to the hack will be provided later next year, during the Trump administration.
“I thought it was a very good session, very good questions, but obviously the seriousness of this merits the work that we all are doing across the government,” Easterly remarked about the senator briefing.
With time running out for both the Biden administration and the 118th Congress, other priorities such as the defense and appropriations bills remain high on the agenda. Nevertheless, some lawmakers are signaling that new legislation aimed at securing telecommunications is urgently needed. Warner and other Congress members are drafting a bill to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities and aim to advance it before year's end, with Warner stating he is working to “share it with other members” to garner support.
Sen. Mike Rounds, incoming chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s cybersecurity subcommittee, is expected to back the initiative.
“Yes, there should be, and the question is what’s the appropriate way to put them into play that they can actually adhere to them,” Rounds said when asked about establishing cybersecurity standards for telecom companies. “That legislation I believe will be coming.”
However, he noted that a comprehensive solution to the security issues raised by this breach would take time, making a comparison to “getting a new phone; it’s the structure that these cell phone systems have been built on.”
Lawmakers, particularly those wary of China like Rubio, are also focused on measures to counter the nation’s cyber activities.
“The Chinese entities are listening in, and monitoring calls and text messages from American officials and the best response to that is not just defense, but offense, and they need to pay a price,” Sen. Mitt Romney told PMG as he left the briefing.
While the Senate Intelligence Committee received a classified briefing on the Salt Typhoon hacks last month, Wednesday’s briefing involved the full Senate, who set aside their phones to receive updates in the Senate SCIF about the severity of the incident. Rounds noted that the senators were “attentive,” although the atmosphere was serious.
“I think it woke a lot of people up in the meeting,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin said.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
The infiltration was executed by a group called Salt Typhoon, affecting numerous telecommunications companies, including hacking phones of officials such as President-elect Donald Trump, and potentially allowing eavesdropping on calls of a large segment of the U.S. population.
On Wednesday, officials from agencies including the FBI, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency visited Capitol Hill to brief senators on the breach’s latest intelligence. Following the briefing, some lawmakers were visibly upset.
“There’s no accountability in anybody sitting up there,” Sen. Rick Scott told reporters after the briefing. “They have not told us why they didn’t catch it, what they’ve done to prevent it.”
“If somebody came to my office and said, ‘Hey look, something bad happened, don’t worry, I’m responsible for it, but I’m not going to be responsible for it, and I don’t have any plan to fix it,’ what would you do? You’d fire them,” he added.
Sen. Josh Hawley emphasized the enormity of this breach, calling it “breathtaking” and advocated for the declassification of more information regarding the incident.
“I think the American people need to know the extent of the breach here, I think they will be shocked at the extent of it,” Hawley said. “I think they need to know about their text messages, their voicemail, their phone calls. It’s very bad, it’s very, very bad, and it is ongoing.”
This sentiment of frustration was echoed across party lines as well. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, a former telecommunications executive, criticized the companies for leaving “gaping holes” in critical systems’ security.
“I think there is huge concern, far and away the worst telecom hack, and the fact is that they are still in the systems,” Warner told reporters.
On Tuesday, officials from CISA and the FBI provided reporters with updates on the investigation, highlighting that they are collaborating with telecommunications companies to address the breach. While they have been monitoring the situation since it was first detected in the spring, the full scope of the infiltration remains unclear.
“It’s the most disturbing and widespread incursion into our telecommunications systems in the history of the world, not just the country, because of how massive our telecommunications systems is,” Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday. “That’s about as bad as it gets.”
In response to the hacking incident, the administration is actively addressing the breach. Following the briefing, CISA Director Jen Easterly announced that the Department of Homeland Security-led Cyber Safety Review Board would formally investigate the incident in a meeting scheduled for Friday. The CSRB includes both federal agencies and private sector representatives and focuses on major cyber breaches. Easterly anticipates that recommendations regarding the response to the hack will be provided later next year, during the Trump administration.
“I thought it was a very good session, very good questions, but obviously the seriousness of this merits the work that we all are doing across the government,” Easterly remarked about the senator briefing.
With time running out for both the Biden administration and the 118th Congress, other priorities such as the defense and appropriations bills remain high on the agenda. Nevertheless, some lawmakers are signaling that new legislation aimed at securing telecommunications is urgently needed. Warner and other Congress members are drafting a bill to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities and aim to advance it before year's end, with Warner stating he is working to “share it with other members” to garner support.
Sen. Mike Rounds, incoming chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s cybersecurity subcommittee, is expected to back the initiative.
“Yes, there should be, and the question is what’s the appropriate way to put them into play that they can actually adhere to them,” Rounds said when asked about establishing cybersecurity standards for telecom companies. “That legislation I believe will be coming.”
However, he noted that a comprehensive solution to the security issues raised by this breach would take time, making a comparison to “getting a new phone; it’s the structure that these cell phone systems have been built on.”
Lawmakers, particularly those wary of China like Rubio, are also focused on measures to counter the nation’s cyber activities.
“The Chinese entities are listening in, and monitoring calls and text messages from American officials and the best response to that is not just defense, but offense, and they need to pay a price,” Sen. Mitt Romney told PMG as he left the briefing.
While the Senate Intelligence Committee received a classified briefing on the Salt Typhoon hacks last month, Wednesday’s briefing involved the full Senate, who set aside their phones to receive updates in the Senate SCIF about the severity of the incident. Rounds noted that the senators were “attentive,” although the atmosphere was serious.
“I think it woke a lot of people up in the meeting,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin said.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
