T-Mobile has been identified as one of several telecommunications companies affected by a sophisticated Chinese cyber-espionage operation, according to recent WSJ reports.
The breach, which was part of a broader campaign targeting multiple U.S. and international telecommunications providers, has raised concerns about the security of telecommunications infrastructure.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) confirmed on Wednesday that China-linked threat actors successfully intercepted surveillance data intended for American law enforcement agencies. The hackers gained access by compromising an undisclosed number of telecommunications companies' systems.
T-Mobile has responded to these reports by acknowledging their awareness of the industry-wide attack.
"T-Mobile is closely monitoring this industry-wide attack," a company spokesperson told Reuters in an email.
"At this time, T-Mobile systems and data have not been impacted in any significant way, and we have no evidence of impacts to customer information."
It was unclear what information, if any, was taken about T-Mobile customers' calls and communications records, according to the report.
This incident appears to be part of a larger pattern of cyber activities. Earlier in October, other major U.S. telecommunications providers, including Verizon Communications, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies, were reportedly targeted in similar attacks. In these cases, the hackers allegedly accessed systems used by the federal government for court-authorized wiretapping operations.
The operation, reportedly conducted by hackers associated with Chinese intelligence, was described as a months-long campaign specifically targeting high-value intelligence assets' cellular communications. However, the exact timeline of these attacks remains unclear, and the full extent of any potentially compromised information has not been disclosed.
These developments come amid growing concerns about the security of telecommunications infrastructure and the increasing sophistication of state-sponsored cyber operations. The Chinese government has consistently denied allegations of involvement in such cyber activities, including previous claims by the U.S. government regarding similar security breaches.
The situation remains under investigation, with both federal agencies and affected companies monitoring for any additional security concerns or potential impacts on their systems and customers.