U.S. lawmakers demand answers to communications over Chinese hacking report Reuters
Written by David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers asked AT&T (NYSE:), Verizon Communications (NYSE:), and Lumen Technologies on Friday to answer questions after reports that Chinese hackers accessed the networks of American broadband providers.
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that hackers obtained information from the federal government's court-mandated wiretapping systems, and said the three companies were among the communications networks breached.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, and the committee's top Democrat Representative Frank Pallone and Representatives Bob Latta and Doris Matsui asked the three companies to respond to questions. They want a summary and detailed answers next Friday.
“There is growing concern about the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in America's telecommunications networks,” the lawmakers said. They are asking for details on what information was seized and when companies learned of the hack.
AT&T and Lumen declined to comment, while Verizon did not immediately comment.
It was unclear when the robbery happened.
Hackers may have gained months of access to network infrastructure used by companies to cooperate with US court-ordered requests for communications data, the Journal said. It said the hackers also accessed other areas of the internet.
China's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday it was unaware of the attack described in the report but said the United States had “made up a false story” to “encircle” China earlier.
