Chinese hackers are believed to have targeted Trump and Vance’s mobile phones: sources

Chinese hackers are believed to have targeted mobile phones used by the former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The Trump/Vance campaign was notified this week that Trump and Vance are among several people whose phone numbers are believed to have been targeted and possibly compromised, the sources said. It is not clear what access was gained to the devices. Investigators are working to determine that information, the sources told ABC News.

The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a statement about the hacks but did not mention the campaign. However, sources told ABC News that the targets were the Trump/Vance campaign.

“The U.S. government is investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors associated with the People’s Republic of China,” the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a statement. “After identifying specific malicious activity targeting the industry, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, provided technical assistance, and quickly shared information to identify other potential victims. to help.”

In response to the news, the Trump campaign is trying to blame Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration for “encouraging China and Iran to attack critical U.S. infrastructure to prevent President Trump from returning to the White House.”

MORE: Group with close ties to Trump believed to be attacked by Chinese hackers

The New York Times first reported the news.

The current understanding is that this was a broad campaign that targeted officials from both parties, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The investigation has been ongoing for some time and law enforcement recently began notifying several people who were targeted in this cyber campaign.

The FBI-CISA joint statement released Friday was not in response to The New York Times reporting, a senior administration official said, adding that a public disclosure of unauthorized access to commercial telecom infrastructure had been planned for days.

This is a development story. Check back later for updates.

Chinese hackers are believed to have targeted Trump and Vance’s mobile phones: sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com