“Salt Typhoon” ek naye cyber attack ka naam hai jo Chinese hackers ne U.S. telecom networks pe kiya hai |
Chinese Cyberattack Exposes U.S. Telecom Vulnerabilities
Chinese government se judi hui cyberattacks ne U.S. telecom network ke ek major segment ko compromise kar diya, jiske baad officials ne warnings deni shuru kar di. Senate Intelligence Committee ke Chair Mark Warner, jo ki Virginia ke Democrat hain, ne ise “hamare desh ka sabse bada telecom hack” kaha, kyunki iske scope ne purane hacks ko bhi peeche chhoda.
Yeh attack, jo 2022 mein shuru hua tha aur jise hacking group “Salt Typhoon” se joda gaya hai, kaafi targeted tha. U.S. officials ke mutabik, iska goal tha: America ke telecom networks mein persistent access paana, jise companies jaise AT&T, Verizon, aur Lumen ke routers aur switches ko exploit karke achieve kiya gaya tha.
Yeh attack pehle se reported Chinese-linked cyber activity ka hissa hai, jo government officials, politicians, aur 2024 ke presidential election se judi candidates ko target kar rahi thi.
International Impact
Lekin, Salt Typhoon ke activities sirf United States tak limited nahi hain. Cybersecurity firm Trend Micro ke according, group ne worldwide critical infrastructure ko target kiya, jise U.S. officials ne bhi confirm kiya. Chinese authorities ne har baar ki tarah apni involvement in cyberattacks se inkaar kiya.
Cybersecurity expert Richard Forno ne is attack ko “breathtaking in scope and severity” kaha, lekin unhone yeh bhi bola ki yeh unsurprising hai, kyunki kai organizations strong cybersecurity practices follow nahi karte, unke paas resources ki kami hoti hai, ya unka IT infrastructure itna complex hota hai ki wo properly manage nahi ho pata.
How Salt Typhoon Operated
Salt Typhoon ne networks ko break karne ke liye firewalls aur other cybersecurity technologies mein exploit kiya. Network mein ghusne ke baad, unhe apna access propagate karna, data exfiltrate karna, aur malware install karna tha jo baad mein use ho sakta tha. FBI ke mutabik, hackers ne communications ke records bhi access kiye, jisme telephone calls aur text messages ki information thi.
Sabse zyada serious cheez yeh thi ki group ne telecom companies ke private “backdoor” portals ko access kiya, jise law enforcement ko court orders ke through monitoring ke liye use karna hota hai. Isse Chinese spies aur informants jo U.S. surveillance mein the, unki information expose ho sakti thi, jo unhe detection se bachne mein madad de sakti thi.
Mitigation Efforts
3 December ko, U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, aur U.K. ne ek joint guide issue kiya, jisme Salt Typhoon aur aise similar attacks ke effects ko kam karne ke liye best practices batayi gayi. Is guide mein Cisco telecommunications equipment ko protect karne ke specific recommendations bhi di gayi hain.
Lekin, ab tak affected officials aur companies yeh nahi jaan paaye hain ki breach ka full extent kya tha, aur unhone ab tak compromised systems se attackers ke signs ko puri tarah eliminate nahi kiya hai.
Future Precautions
U.S. officials ka kehna hai ki yeh attack telecom infrastructure mein long-standing vulnerabilities ko highlight karta hai. Unhone kaha ki aise incidents ko prevent karne ke liye enhanced cybersecurity measures zaroori hain, khas karke critical systems ke liye.
Organizations ko government ke diye gaye recent guidelines ko follow karna chahiye, jisme threat intelligence sources ko monitor karne ka guidance diya gaya hai. Unhe cybersecurity programs ke liye adequate funding aur personnel bhi ensure karna hoga.
Average Americans ko Salt Typhoon se direct affect nahi hoga, lekin wo apni privacy ko strengthen karne ke liye encrypted messaging apps jaise Signal ya FaceTime ka use kar sakte hain, aur apne devices ko strong passwords aur two-factor authentication se secure kar sakte hain.
Lessons Learned
Salt Typhoon attack ne technology ke forced backdoor access ke dangers ko dikhaya, kyunki aise vulnerabilities ko bad actors exploit kar sakte hain. Ironically, ek countermeasure jo government ne recommend ki hai, wo encryption technologies ka use hai, jabki agencies pehle in technologies ko weaken karne ki koshish kar chuki hain.
Yeh analysis The Conversation se republished kiya gaya hai, jo ek independent news organization hai jo complex issues par honest discussions karta hai. Isse likha hai Richard Forno, jo University of Maryland, Baltimore County ke professor hain.
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