The Washington Post has reported that Chinese government hackers were trying to gain access to phones used by former US President Donald Trump and others, including those involved in ongoing US presidential campaigns.
The report included a Chinese accusation that the United States is spreading false information.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a joint statement Friday saying the U.S. government is investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors linked to China.
The Washington Post reported on the same day that a Chinese hacking group called “Salt Typhoon” carried out the cyber attacks, citing sources close to the matter. The newspaper quoted officials as saying the group has ties to China’s top spy agency, the Ministry of State Security.
The newspaper said phones used by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance and associates of Vice President Kamala Harris’ Democratic presidential campaign were also among the group’s targets.
The newspaper said it was not immediately clear whether the efforts were successful.
It also quoted officials as saying they “do not view the latest efforts as election interference.”
The Trump camp has reportedly increased its vigilance after being briefed on the issue by the FBI.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the US told NHK on Saturday that its employees were not aware of the specific situation.
But the spokesperson accused the US of collecting and spreading “all kinds of disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threats” in recent years, saying such accusations are “full of malicious speculation” against China.