T-Mobile cybersecurity staff cut cable to expel Chinese hackers

As reported by Bloomberg, T-Mobile's cybersecurity team successfully identified and removed Chinese hackers from its network in 2024. This incident occurred during a broader campaign by a Chinese government-backed group targeting the telecommunications industry, according to TechCrunch.

The hacking group, identified as Salt Typhoon, compromised hundreds of companies, including major players like AT&T, Verizon, Viasat, Charter, and Windstream. Their objective was to gather phone records and intelligence on senior U.S. government officials. T-Mobile largely avoided a widespread breach by detecting the intrusion early.

After months of searching for suspicious activity, T-Mobile's cybersecurity chief, Jeff Simon, and three colleagues physically cut the cable of a compromised system at a data center in Bellevue, Washington, to sever the hackers' access.

Source: TechCrunch