Salt Typhoon hackers breached Viasat during 2024 presidential campaign
US officials say hackers had full access to major telecom networks.
According to Bloomberg News, satellite communications firm Viasat Inc. was reportedly among the targets of the Chinese-linked cyberespionage operation known as Salt Typhoon, which coincided with the 2024 US presidential campaign.
The breach, believed to have occurred last year, was discovered in 2025. Viasat confirmed it had investigated the incident in cooperation with an independent cybersecurity partner and relevant government authorities.
According to the company, the unauthorised access stemmed from a compromised device, though no evidence of customer impact has been found. ‘Viasat believes that the incident has been remediated and has not detected any recent activity related to this event,’ the firm stated, reaffirming its collaboration with United States officials.
Salt Typhoon, attributed to China by US intelligence, has previously been accused of breaching major telecom networks, including Verizon, AT&T and Lumen. Hackers allegedly gained full access to internal systems, enabling the geolocation of millions of users and the interception of phone calls.
In December 2024, US officials disclosed that a ninth telecom company had been compromised and confirmed that individuals connected to both Kamala Harris’s and Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns were targeted.
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