Recent reports of a massive breach of AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen’s telecommunications networks by Chinese hackers has U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Bob Latta (R-OH) concerned about the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in U.S. telecom networks.
“These types of breaches are increasing in frequency and severity,” wrote Rep. McMorris Rodgers, chair of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee; Rep. Latta, a committee member; and two other committee members in three Oct. 10 letters sent to each of the CEOs of these companies. “The committee needs to understand better how this incident occurred and what steps your company is taking to prevent future service disruptions and secure your customers’ data.”
Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Rep. Latta, and their colleagues cited media reports that said the cyberattack was focused on intelligence collection and hackers may have accessed U.S. court-authorized network wiretapping requests, according to their letters.
For instance, on Oct. 5, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. broadband providers were breached by a Chinese government-tied hacker organization dubbed Salt Typhoon.
“The attack appears to be geared towards intelligence collection, and Chinese hackers potentially accessed vulnerable information,” they wrote. “This is extremely alarming for both economic and national security reasons.”
In each letter, the lawmakers requested a briefing from the CEOs before Oct. 18, and to answer specific questions by that date, as well, such as when and how they became aware that their networks had been breached; what law enforcement entities, if any, were contacted upon learning that the breach occurred; and what steps were taken to notify customers of the breach and assist customers whose data had been compromised, among others.
“In an age where Americans rely heavily on your services for communication and connectivity, the integrity of your networks is paramount,” wrote the members in each letter. “It is vital that cybersecurity protocols are enhanced to better protect Americans’ data against increasingly sophisticated attacks, especially from our foreign adversaries.”
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), in his role as chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, also has requested information and a closed-door briefing from the same CEOs.