Chinese hackers believed to have targeted the cell phones of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance are known in the cybersecurity industry as Salt Typhoon, and they also took aim at Democrats, including people affiliated with Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, reported The New York Times.
It's not clear what data was obtained from any of the attempts, though investigators believe that the hackers obtained access to U.S. telecommunications infrastructure and major U.S. broadband and internet providers AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen.
The attacks have been described as "brazen."
"They're taunting us," one person involved in the response told The Wall Street Journal. "What is the diplomatic messaging behind them doing it, them showing us that they're doing it, and continuing to do it after they are caught?" The brazenness of the operation, the person said, marked a "new frontier" in how the Chinese government is leveraging cyber activity against the U.S.
Beijing has previously denied claims by the U.S. government and others that it has used hackers to break into foreign computer systems.
Earlier this year, U.S. law enforcement disrupted a major Chinese hacking group nicknamed "Flax Typhoon," months after confronting Beijing about sweeping cyber espionage under a campaign named "Volt Typhoon."
Information from Reuters was used in this report.