Salt Typhoon attack on US congressional email system ‘exposes how vulnerable core communications systems remain to nation-state actors’

Chinese state-backed threat group Salt Typhoon is believed to have gained access to email systems used by US Congressional Committee staff.

According to reports from the Financial Times, the threat group is thought to have compromised accounts belonging to staff working on the House China Committee.

Aides working at the Foreign Affairs Committee, Armed Services Committee, and Intelligence Committee are also believed to have been impacted by the attacks.

Sources told the FT the incident was first discovered in December.

Exact details on the scope of the incident are yet to be confirmed. A person familiar with the matter told the publication it remains unclear whether the group fully accessed email communications.

Salt Typhoon has cyber agencies on alert

The campaign marks the latest in a string of attacks by Salt Typhoon on US government email systems and telecommunications networks.

A previous attack saw the threat group access and record telephone conversations of “very senior” American political figures, according to Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology under the Biden administration.

This particular campaign saw the group compromise major US telecoms companies, including Verizon, Lumen Technologies, and AT&T.

Salt Typhoon activities have escalated over the last three years, with security agencies on both sides of the Atlantic issuing repeated warnings about the threat posed by the group.

An advisory from the FBI in September noted the group had hit organizations in more than 80 countries as part of an “indiscriminate” hacking campaign.

In mid-2025, it was revealed the threat group also compromised US state National Guard networks. An investigation by the US Department of Defense (DoD) found hackers breached and laid low in compromised networks for almost a year.

The DoD warned the group may have accessed sensitive information pertaining to military and law enforcement operations.

“Deeply concerning” attacks

Benjamin Schilz, CEO at Wire, said the latest campaign “exposes how vulnerable core communications systems remain to nation-state actors”

“The Salt Typhoon espionage campaign highlights a sustained, state-backed assault on U.S. communications infrastructure by China’s Ministry of State Security,” he said.

“Regardless of whether lawmakers’ emails were accessed, the fact this activity went undetected for years is deeply concerning.

“Persistent access of this nature creates the potential to intercept unencrypted communications, including calls, messages, and voicemails across the U.S. population, posing a serious national security risk,” Schilz added.

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