U.S. intelligence officials are sounding alarms that foreign cyber intrusions are accelerating at the same time artificial intelligence is making hacking operations faster and easier to scale.
AI firm Anthropic recently disclosed that it shut down what researchers described as a Chinese-linked operation that used an AI system to help automate and direct hacking activity. While that effort was relatively limited and targeted roughly 30 individuals, experts warned that the pace at which AI-assisted cyber capabilities are advancing is deeply concerning.
Against that backdrop, warnings are growing that Chinese intelligence has not been expelled from U.S. telecommunications infrastructure. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said Chinese operatives remain embedded in American telecom systems as part of an operation known as “Salt Typhoon,” which he said has been underway for at least two years.
Speaking at a Defense Writers Group event, Warner said Chinese intelligence is “still inside” U.S. networks, enabling access to vast amounts of American communications. He cautioned that without encryption, hackers could effectively “pick any one of us,” tapping into unprotected phone traffic. He pointed to comments from national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who previously described the breach as notable for its “sheer scale of access,” according to the Financial Times.
Warner said a recent classified briefing only deepened his concerns. He described the session as “really frustrating,” saying it left him puzzled by sharply conflicting assessments from federal agencies. According to Warner, the FBI portrayed telecom systems as “pretty clean,” while other intelligence bodies, citing multiple internal documents, insisted the intrusions are ongoing.
Those warnings echo earlier alerts from U.S. intelligence agencies. In September, the National Security Agency cautioned that Chinese cyber operations linked to Salt Typhoon continued to penetrate virtually all internet-connected systems and devices.
Warner argued that the depth of the problem is rooted in years of regulatory complacency and aggressive cost-cutting by telecom companies. He said the result is a fragmented network built for speed and profit rather than security, leaving consumers to bear the consequences. In his view, U.S. systems are more exposed than those in Canada or Europe.
To address the risks, Warner has advocated for legislation that would require telecom providers to comply with baseline cybersecurity standards. But he acknowledged that the effort faces stiff opposition, largely because upgrading networks could cost billions of dollars, including the expense of ripping out and replacing outdated equipment.
The senator also warned that failure to act invites other adversaries to follow China’s lead. He said Russia is already probing the same weaknesses exposed by Salt Typhoon, calling it an expected move when enemies see vulnerabilities that Washington and industry have not decisively addressed.
While assigning blame across party lines for slow progress, Warner criticized what he described as a damaging shift in federal priorities. He said the FBI redirected significant manpower away from counterespionage and counterterrorism toward immigration enforcement.
Former CIA China analyst Dennis Wilder echoed those concerns, telling the Financial Times that staff reductions at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have undermined the government’s ability to respond effectively, even as threats to U.S. telecommunications continue to grow.
China has repeatedly denied that its Ministry of State Security is responsible for hacking U.S. telecom networks, according to the report.
{Matzav.com}
