Washington – Washington (AP) –
Cybersecurity investigators noticed a very unusual software accident – this affected a small number of smartphones belonging to people who worked on government, politics, technology and journalism.
Accidents, which started at the end of last year and were worn in 2025, were the TIP to a sophisticated cyber attack which may have allowed the pirates to infiltrate a phone without a single click compared to the user.
The attackers left no clue to their identity, but the investigators of the Ivify cybersecurity society noticed that the victims had all something in common: they worked in areas of interest in the Chinese government and had been targeted by Chinese pirates in the past.
Foreign hackers have increasingly identified smartphones, other mobile devices and the applications they use as a weak link in American cyber -defenses. Groups related to Chinese military and intelligence services have targeted smartphones from eminent Americans And deeply trampled in telecommunications networksAccording to national security and technology experts.
It shows how vulnerable mobile devices and applications are and the risk that security failures can expose sensitive information or leave American interests open to cyber attacks, according to these experts.
“The world is in a mobile security crisis at the moment,” said Rocky Cole, a former cybersecurity expert at the National Security Agency and Google and now Director of Operations at IVERIFY. “No one looks at the phones.”
US authorities warned in December A sprawling Chinese hacking campaign designed to access the texts and telephone conversations of an unknown number of Americans.
“They were able to listen to on real -time telephone calls and read SMS,” said representative Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. He is a member of the Intelligence Committee of the Chamber and the Chinese Communist Party Committee, created to study the geopolitical threat of China.
Chinese hackers too wanted access to phones Used by Donald Trump and the JD Vance running mate during the 2024 campaign.
The Chinese government has refused allegations of cyberspionageand accused the United States of Amounts to its own cyber operations. He says America quotes national security as an excuse for deliver sanctions Against Chinese organizations and keep Chinese technological companies on the world market.
“The United States has long used all kinds of despicable methods to steal the secrets of other countries,” said Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry CIA Push to recruit Chinese informants.
American intelligence officials said that China was a significant and persistent threat to the economic and political interests of the United States, and that it has exploited the tools of the digital conflict: online propaganda And disinformationartificial intelligence and cyber-surveillance and espionage designed to offer a significant advantage in Any military conflict.
Mobile networks are a major concern. The United States and many of its closest allies have banned Chinese telecommunications companies on their networks. Other countries, including Germany, are Eliminate Chinese participation Due to security problems. But Chinese technological companies remain a large part of the systems in many countries, giving companies controlled by the State a global imprint that they could exploit for cyber attacks, according to experts.
Chinese telecommunications companies still maintain certain cloud routing and storage systems in the United States – an increasing concern for legislators.
“The American people deserves to know if Beijing quietly uses public enterprises to infiltrate our critical infrastructure,” said American representative John Moolenaar, R-Mich. And the president of the Chinese committee, who published in April assignments to Chinese telecommunications companies looking for information on their American operations.
Mobile devices can buy actions, launch drones and run power plants. Their proliferation has often exceeded their safety.
The phones of senior government officials are particularly precious, containing Sensitive government informationPasswords and overview of an initiate on political discussions and decision -making.
The White House said last week that Someone usurped the identity of Susie WilesTrump chief of staff contacted governors, senators and business leaders with SMS and telephone calls.
We do not know how the person obtained the Wile connections, but they apparently had access to the contacts of his personal mobile phone, reported the Wall Street Journal. Messages and calls did not come from Wiles, the newspaper reported.
While most smartphones and tablets are delivered with robust safety, applications and Connected devices Often lacking these protections or regular software updates necessary to stay ahead of new threats. It makes each fitness tracker, baby monitor or smart device Potential service For hackers who seek to penetrate networks, recover information or infect systems with malware.
Federal officials have launched this year a program creating a “cyber-fiducious brand” for connected devices that meet federal security standards. But consumers and civil servants should not lower their custody, said Snehal Antani, former director of joint Pentagon special operations technology.
“They find stolen doors in Barbie Dolls,” said Antani, now CEO of Horizon3.ai, a cybersecurity company, referring to the concerns of researchers who have managed to hack the microphone of a digital version of the toy.
No matter how secure a mobile device is if the user does not follow basic safety precautions, especially if their device contains classified or sensitive information, according to experts.
Mike Waltz, who left As a Trump National Security Advisor, inadvertently added the editor -in -chief of the Atlantic to a reported cat used to discuss military plans with other senior officials.
The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, had a Internet connection that bypassed Pentagon security protocols Installed in his office so that he can Use the signal messaging application On a personal computer, the AP reported.
Hegseth rejected the affirmations That he shared classified signal information, a popular encryption application that is not approved for the use of classified communication information.
China and other nations will try to take advantage of these failures, and national security officials must take action to prevent them from recurring, said Michael Williams, a national security expert at the University of Syracuse.
“They all have access to a variety of secure communication platforms,” ​​said Williams. “We just can't share things that bother.”
