Industry reports or announcements from major telecom companies

US Government Targets Chinese Hackers with New Cybersecurity Rules, Sanctions

Dec 10, 2024, 05:06 PM

The U.S. government has taken significant steps in response to cybersecurity threats from Chinese hackers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed new cybersecurity rules for telecom carriers, prompted by breaches attributed to the Chinese government hacking group Salt Typhoon. These rules would require carriers to create, update, and implement cybersecurity risk management plans, with penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has introduced a bill to enforce minimum security standards, annual testing, audits, and reports for telecom companies. In a related development, the U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Sichuan Silence Information Technology, a Chinese cybersecurity firm, and its employee Guan Tianfeng, for their involvement in a 2020 cyberattack that targeted critical infrastructure globally, including U.S. systems. The sanctions are in response to their role in creating and exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities and their ties to the Ragnarok ransomware.