Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), as well as Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) and Ranking Member Doris Matsui (D-CA), sent letters to AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen demanding answers and requesting a briefing following breaches of their communications networks by hackers tied to the Chinese government.

Reporting from the Wall Street Journal revealed the cyberattack was focused on intelligence collection and may have accessed U.S. wiretapping requests. 

KEY LETTER QUOTE:  

“We are concerned by the recent reports of a massive breach of AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen’s communications networks by Chinese hackers. These types of breaches are increasing in frequency and severity, and there is a growing concern regarding the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in U.S. telecommunications networks. 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.”

BACKGROUND:  

• On October 5th, The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. broadband providers were breached by a Chinese government-tied hacker organization.
• The attack appears to be geared towards intelligence collection, and Chinese hackers potentially accessed vulnerable information, including court-authorized network wiretapping requests and internet traffic.
• AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen are among the U.S. broadband providers breached.
• According to the Wall Street Journal, “The widespread compromise is considered a potentially catastrophic security breach and was carried out by a sophisticated Chinese hacking group dubbed Salt Typhoon.”

CLICK HERE to read the letter to AT&T.

CLICK HERE to read the letter to Verizon.

CLICK HERE to read the letter to Lumen.