The United States has officially attributed a significant metadata theft to the notorious Chinese hacking group known as “Salt Typhoon.” This attribution comes as the US grapples with an increasingly complex and treacherous cyber landscape.
According to a statement released by the US Department of Justice, Salt Typhoon, also known as “Storm Cloud,” has been linked to a string of high-profile cyberattacks targeting sensitive metadata from various US-based organizations.
The metadata theft, which occurred over several months, resulted in the exfiltration of vast amounts of sensitive information, including employee data, financial records, and intellectual property.
US officials have condemned the attack, emphasizing the severity of the threat posed by Salt Typhoon and other state-sponsored hacking groups.
“The attribution of this metadata theft to Salt Typhoon highlights the growing threat of Chinese state-sponsored cyberactivity,” said a senior US government official. “We will continue to work with our partners to expose and disrupt these malicious activities.”
The US has called on China to take immediate action to rein in its state-sponsored hacking groups and to respect the sovereignty and security of other nations’ digital infrastructure.
As the US and its allies continue to grapple with the evolving cyber threat landscape, the attribution of this metadata theft to Salt Typhoon serves as a stark reminder of the need for vigilance and cooperation in the face of these growing threats.