China accuses US of ‘disinformation’ after report of hacking attempt on Trump and Vance phones
Perpetrators are said to have tapped into Verizon’s network in bid to access devices used by the Republican nominee and his running mate
China’s embassy in Washington said the US has spread “disinformation” after reports on alleged Chinese attempts to hack the mobile phones of the Republican Party’s presidential candidate and his running mate.
“In recent years,The US has compiled and spread all kinds of disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threats. Such allegations are full of malicious speculations against China, which China firmly opposes,” the embassy spokesperson told the Post in an email.
“The presidential elections are the United States’ domestic affairs. China has no intention and will not interfere in the US election. We hope that the US side will not make accusations against China in the election,” the spokesperson added.
The US government is investigating suspected efforts by Chinese hackers to tap data from phones used by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, as well as the campaign of their challenger, Vice-President Kamala Harris, American media reported on Friday.
The reports, citing people familiar with the matter, came out around the same time as the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said they are investigating “unauthorised access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China”.
“After the FBI identified specific malicious activity targeting the sector, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) immediately notified affected companies, rendered technical assistance, and rapidly shared information to assist other potential victims,” the federal agencies said in a joint statement.
