Chinese telecom companies retain US network ties despite security concerns

Nextgov reports that a new House investigation reveals that three Chinese state-owned telecommunications providers have maintained equipment, data-center space, and network connections in the United States, years after federal regulators sought to remove them on national security grounds.

The House China Committee's probe found that China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom continued to offer services in the U.S. even after the FCC denied or revoked their operating authority. These remaining ties could potentially provide Chinese intelligence agencies with visibility into sensitive U.S. network traffic, support malicious infrastructure, and create opportunities for data rerouting or targeting U.S. entities. The investigation highlighted the significance of these connections in relation to the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign, where China Mobile's network appeared in routing data to servers used by the campaign. While the committee does not allege direct participation by company employees, it argues that the overlap demonstrates how these network links can sustain malicious infrastructure. The report also identified numerous incidents of alleged Border Gateway Protocol hijacks involving Chinese or Hong Kong-linked networks. The committee recommends granting federal agencies more authority over remaining equipment and network arrangements, implementing stronger routing protections, and enhancing logging requirements for foreign-controlled operators.

Source: Nextgov