China accused of hacking U.S. congressional email systems
U.S. officials say Chinese intelligence services hacked email systems used by staff on several influential House committees, as part of a broader espionage campaign known as “Salt Typhoon.”
The breach allegedly targeted aides working on China policy, foreign affairs, intelligence and defense, according to people familiar with the incident. It remains unclear whether lawmakers’ own emails were accessed. The intrusions were first detected in December, News.Az reports, citing Financial Times.
Salt Typhoon is believed to allow China’s Ministry of State Security to intercept calls, texts, voicemails and in some cases emails across U.S. telecom networks. Current and former U.S. officials have warned that the campaign has gone on for years and that American infrastructure remains highly vulnerable due to high upgrade costs and aging network design.
Washington has considered sanctions against Chinese intelligence entities over the operation, but some measures were paused amid efforts to stabilize diplomatic ties between President Trump and President Xi.
China’s embassy in the U.S. rejected the allegations as unfounded and politically motivated.
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