Chinese Telecom Hackers Strike Worldwide

US and Allies Warn About Persistent and Long Term Access to Network Equipment David Perera (@daveperera) • August 27, 2025

The Chinese hackers responsible for breaking into telecom networks across the globe capitalize on already documented vulnerabilities, principally in Cisco routing equipment, warn a slew of national cybersecurity agencies.

See Also: SANS Report, Zero Trust: What You Need to Know to Secure Your Data and Networks

Chinese nation-state hackers commonly tracked as Salt Typhoon penetrated nine U.S. telecoms in a campaign that became public knowledge in December 2024 (see: Feds Identify Ninth Telecom Victim in Salt Typhoon Hack).

A Wednesday advisory from the English-speaking nations that make up the Five Eyes intelligence alliance as well as a medley of European cyber agencies plus Japan say the hackers target telecoms and other sectors such as the lodging and transport sectors to track targets' "communications and movement around the world ...