T-Mobile, the U.S. phone giant, has announced that hackers had "no access" to its customers' calls, text messages, and voicemails during an ongoing industry-wide cyberattack targeting internet and phone companies. The company's chief security officer, Jeff Simon, revealed that T-Mobile detected attempts to infiltrate its systems in recent weeks, which originated from another telecoms company connected to T-Mobile's network.

Simon stated that the company quickly severed connectivity to the provider's network as it believed it was – and may still be – compromised. Although T-Mobile did not explicitly identify the hacking group, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the China-backed hacking group known as Salt Typhoon had compromised T-Mobile, along with several other telecom giants, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen, as part of a broad espionage operation targeting the communications of U.S. officials and senior Americans, including presidential candidates.

T-Mobile emphasized that it could not definitively identify the identity of the hackers but added that it does not see any attackers in its systems at this time. The company clarified that its cybersecurity defenses stopped the attackers "from accessing sensitive customer information." When asked about the nature of sensitive customer records, a T-Mobile spokesperson explained that metadata about customer phone calls and text messages, such as information about the caller, sender, and recipient, and the dates and times of communications, are considered sensitive and were not accessed.

T-Mobile attributed its ability to quickly identify suspicious activity and take action to protect its systems and customers to its robust technical means, including logs. The company has invested heavily in cybersecurity hardening over previous years, largely due to numerous data breaches that compromised millions of T-Mobile customers' personal information.

The U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA and the FBI issued a public alert last week, warning that China-backed hackers were targeting telcos as part of a "broad and significant cyber espionage campaign" targeting wiretap systems, which U.S. phone and internet companies are required by law to install. Senior U.S. officials have linked the Salt Typhoon campaign against telcos as part of a broader effort by China to lay the groundwork for disruptive cyberattacks in the event of a future conflict with the United States, such as an anticipated Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

The ongoing cyberattack has significant implications for the telecommunications industry, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive customer information. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, companies like T-Mobile must remain vigilant and proactive in detecting and responding to potential security threats.

In conclusion, while T-Mobile's assurances may provide some comfort to its customers, the broader implications of this cyberattack cannot be ignored. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing cyber threats faced by the telecommunications industry and the need for sustained investment in cybersecurity to protect sensitive customer information and prevent future breaches.