Chinese hackers and user lapses turn smartphones into a 'mobile security crisis'
WASHINGTON (AP) —
Cybersecurity investigators noticed a highly unusual software crash — it was affecting a small number of smartphones belonging to people who worked in government, politics, tech and journalism.
The crashes, which began late last year and carried into 2025, were the tipoff to a sophisticated cyberattack that may have allowed hackers to infiltrate a phone without a single click from the user.
The attackers left no clues about their identities, but investigators at the cybersecurity firm iVerify noticed that the victims all had something in common: They worked in fields of interest to China's government and had been targeted by Chinese hackers in the past.
Foreign hackers have increasingly identified smartphones, other mobile devices and the apps they use as a weak link in U.S. cyberdefenses. Groups linked to China's military and intelligence service have targeted the smartphones of prominent Americans and burrowed deep into telecommunication networks, according to national security and tech experts.
It shows how vulnerable mobile devices and apps are and the risk that security failures could expose sensitive information or leave American interests open to cyberattack, those experts say.
'The world is in a mobile security crisis right now,' said Rocky Cole, a former cybersecurity expert at the National Security Agency and Google and now chief operations officer at iVerify. 'No one is watching the phones.'
U.S. authorities warned in December of a sprawling Chinese hacking campaign designed to gain access to the texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans.
'They were able to listen in on phone calls in real time and able to read text messages,' said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. He is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the senior Democrat on the Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, created to study the geopolitical threat from China.
Chinese hackers also sought access to phones used by Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance during the 2024 campaign.
The Chinese government has denied allegations of cyberespionage, and accused the U.S. of mounting its own cyberoperations. It says America cites national security as an excuse to issue sanctions against Chinese organizations and keep Chinese technology companies from the global market.
'The U.S. has long been using all kinds of despicable methods to steal other countries' secrets,' Lin Jian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said at a recent press conference in response to questions about a CIA push to recruit Chinese informants.
U.S. intelligence officials have said China poses a significant, persistent threat to U.S. economic and political interests, and it has harnessed the tools of digital conflict: online propaganda and disinformation, artificial intelligence and cyber surveillance and espionage designed to deliver a significant advantage in any military conflict.
Mobile networks are a top concern. The U.S. and many of its closest allies have banned Chinese telecom companies from their networks. Other countries, including Germany, are phasing out Chinese involvement because of security concerns. But Chinese tech firms remain a big part of the systems in many nations, giving state-controlled companies a global footprint they could exploit for cyberattacks, experts say.
Chinese telecom firms still maintain some routing and cloud storage systems in the U.S. — a growing concern to lawmakers.
'The American people deserve to know if Beijing is quietly using state-owned firms to infiltrate our critical infrastructure,' U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich. and chairman of the China committee, which in April issued subpoenas to Chinese telecom companies seeking information about their U.S. operations.
Mobile devices have become an intel treasure trove
Mobile devices can buy stocks, launch drones and run power plants. Their proliferation has often outpaced their security.
The phones of top government officials are especially valuable, containing sensitive government information, passwords and an insider's glimpse into policy discussions and decision-making.
The White House said last week that someone impersonating Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, reached out to governors, senators and business leaders with texts and phone calls.
It's unclear how the person obtained Wiles' connections, but they apparently gained access to the contacts in her personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles' number, the newspaper reported.
While most smartphones and tablets come with robust security, apps and connected devices often lack these protections or the regular software updates needed to stay ahead of new threats. That makes every fitness tracker, baby monitor or smart appliance another potential foothold for hackers looking to penetrate networks, retrieve information or infect systems with malware.
Federal officials launched a program this year creating a 'cyber trust mark' for connected devices that meet federal security standards. But consumers and officials shouldn't lower their guard, said Snehal Antani, former chief technology officer for the Pentagon's Joint Special Operations Command.
'They're finding backdoors in Barbie dolls,' said Antani, now CEO of Horizon3.ai, a cybersecurity firm, referring to concerns from researchers who successfully hacked the microphone of a digitally connected version of the toy.
Risks emerge when smartphone users don't take precautions
It doesn't matter how secure a mobile device is if the user doesn't follow basic security precautions, especially if their device contains classified or sensitive information, experts say.
Mike Waltz, who departed as Trump's national security adviser, inadvertently added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to a Signal chat used to discuss military plans with other top officials.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon's security protocols set up in his office so he could use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, the AP has reported.
Hegseth has rejected assertions that he shared classified information on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging app not approved for the use of communicating classified information.
China and other nations will try to take advantage of such lapses, and national security officials must take steps to prevent them from recurring, said Michael Williams, a national security expert at Syracuse University.
'They all have access to a variety of secure communications platforms,' Williams said. "We just can't share things willy-nilly.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
ABC suspends Terry Moran for calling Trump official Stephen Miller a 'hater'
ABC suspends Terry Moran for calling Trump official Stephen Miller a 'hater' Show Caption Hide Caption Trump turns to loyal advisor for deputy chief of staff: Stephen Miller Stephen Miller was the architect of Trump's hardline first-term immigration politics. He's now deputy chief of staff for Trump's second-term. Terry Moran, a senior national correspondent for ABC News, has been suspended over a controversial social media post about Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy. An ABC News spokesperson told USA TODAY on June 8 that Moran has been suspended after he wrote on X that Miller is "a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred" and that Trump is a "world-class hater." "ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others," the spokesperson said. "The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards − as a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation." Who is Stephen Miller? President Trump's deputy chief of staff is the architect of his mass deportation plans According to screenshots shared on X, Moran wrote of Miller in his since-deleted post on June 8, "He's a world-class hater. You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate." The ABC journalist contrasted this with Trump, writing that the president is also a "world-class hater," but "his hatred only a means to an end, and that end his his (sic) own glorification. That's his spiritual nourishment." Moran's post drew sharp criticism from the White House, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt writing on X that the post was "unhinged and unacceptable." She added that the White House had reached out to ABC "to inquire about how they plan to hold Terry accountable." Trump's 100-day interview: The president sits down with ABC Vice President JD Vance also slammed the "absolutely vile smear" of Miller. "It's dripping with hatred," Vance wrote on X. "Remember that every time you watch ABC's coverage of the Trump administration." "As it happens, I know Stephen quite well," Vance added. "And he's motivated by love of country. He's motivated by a fear that people like Terry Moran make rules that normal Americans have to follow, but well connected people don't." Vance also said that ABC should apologize to Miller for the "disgraceful" post. Moran, 65, who joined ABC News in 1997, was previously co-anchor of "Nightline" and has covered eight presidential campaign cycles, according to ABC News. In April, Trump sat down with Moran for an interview about his first 100 days in office.
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Escalating ICE raids pull California Democrats back into immigration fight
SAN FRANCISCO — The Trump administration's increasingly aggressive moves on immigration are pulling Democrats back into a border security debate they had tried to ignore. For months, Democrats scarred by the politics of the issue sought to sidestep President Donald Trump's immigration wars — focusing instead on the economy, tariffs or, in the case of deportations, due process concerns. But in the span of a week, that calculation was jolted in California, after a series of high-profile raids and arrests, including of a labor union leader and dozens of other people in Los Angeles, and with President Donald Trump on Saturday announcing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the area. In this citadel of Democratic politics, party officials from the governor's mansion to city halls are suddenly tearing into Trump on immigration again, inflaming a debate that worked to Trump's benefit in 2024 — but where Democrats believe they now have a political opening. 'We were wrong on the border,' said Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat from San Diego who chided Immigration and Customs Enforcement over a raid at a popular restaurant in the city. 'But it is not hard to explain to average Americans why what's happening here is unproductive. It's so un-American, and it's so cruel.' Peters and other San Diego leaders — including Democratic Reps. Juan Vargas, Sara Jacobs and Mike Levin — were quick to condemn the recent raid on an Italian restaurant in the trendy South Park neighborhood, where around 20 masked agents stormed the restaurant and handcuffed workers as a rattled crowd looked on. Four undocumented immigrants were arrested. The lawmakers called the agents' tactics 'needlessly reckless' and said the heavy-handed approach 'terrorized' residents, noting agents used flash-bang grenades to disperse those who gathered outside to protest. But if the enforcement action was aggressive, the response from Democrats represented an escalation in their engagement on immigration, too. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat, had previously said little about Trump or his immigration policies in the early months of his second term — similar to other blue-city mayors in California who've sought to avoid drawing the president's ire. But in recent days, Gloria sharply criticized federal officials over the raids. And then came the immigration sweeps in Los Angeles, where union officials said the Service Employees International Union's state president, David Huerta, was injured and arrested. Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat from Orange County, who last fall flipped a hotly contested GOP seat, said on X that he was 'appalled by this clear violation of first amendment rights,' while Rep. Jimmy Gomez called it part of a 'nationwide pattern of suppression.' Protests erupted in the city, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass decried immigration enforcement tactics she said 'sow terror in our communities.' 'These are fear-driven, military-style operations that have no place in a democratic society,' said Mark Gonzalez, a Democratic state Assemblymember whose downtown LA district was the epicenter of Friday's raids. The next day, when Trump announced the Guard's deployment, Democrats rushed to take a stand in a fight shifting from deportations to the deployment of the Guard. Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted the measure as 'purposefully inflammatory.' And when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to deploy the U.S. military, too, Newsom posted on social media, 'This is deranged behavior.' In a note to his super PAC list, he said, 'These are not people who have some deep conviction about protecting law enforcement. This is a President who failed to call up the National Guard when it was actually needed — on January 6th — and then pardoned the participants as one of his first acts as president. They want a spectacle. They want the violence.' For the party at large, it's a notable swing from the immediate aftermath of Trump's victory in November, when many Democratic leaders in California and elsewhere sought to moderate on the issue — or at least strike a more muted tone than they did during Trump's first term. Polling suggests that voter frustration over Democrats' handling of border security and crime played a strong role in Trump's sweeping return to power, and many elected officials adjusted in response. Newsom was among them. He has avoided using the word 'sanctuary' to defend the state's immigration laws that limit police cooperation with ICE. He also vowed to veto a Democratic-led bill that would have applied such restrictions to state prisons and is now proposing steep cuts to a health care program for undocumented immigrants. Earlier this year, he suggested the legal fight over Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident mistakenly deported by the Trump administration and imprisoned in El Salvador — he is now back in U.S. custody and facing federal human trafficking charges — was a 'distraction' intended to take Democrats' focus away from other parts of Trump's agenda (Newsom's office later said his remarks were misconstrued). But in recent days, the governor has criticized federal deportation efforts, including reports that federal authorities threatened the family of a Bakersfield girl with a rare, life-threatening medical condition with deportation, despite the family earlier being granted humanitarian protection. 'The @GOP are sending a 4 year old off to her death without a care in the world. It's sick,' Newsom posted on X. The Trump administration has accused Democrats and the media of distorting the facts of the case, noting the girl wasn't actively being deported. Department of Homeland Security Officials said the family has since been approved to stay in the U.S. while she receives medical care. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in an email that the left's 'unhinged smears' of immigration-enforcement tactics have led to a surge of assaults on ICE agents. 'President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people to deport illegal aliens,' she said. 'It's disturbing that Democrats would side with illegal aliens over Americans and stoke hatred against American law enforcement.' In a social media post, Trump said, 'If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!' ICE officials have also defended the agency's actions in the San Diego raids, saying agents wear masks due to escalating death threats and online harassment. The agency said it deployed flash-bang grenades when the crowd outside the restaurant 'became unruly' and posed a potential danger. Regarding the arrest of SEIU's leader, federal authorities said Huerta had blocked an ICE vehicle while agents were serving a warrant. Still, the headline-grabbing incidents and images of residents clashing with ICE agents have provided an opening for Democrats to put the Trump administration on the defensive — over raids, accounts of children being separated from their parents during ICE detentions and migrants being arrested in federal courthouses while attending legal proceedings. Recent polling suggests that after making gains with Latino voters in 2024, Trump's support among Latinos is falling off. 'It's one thing when you're talking about illegal aliens in the abstract,' said Mike Madrid, a veteran political consultant and anti-Trump Republican. 'It moved from the abstract to the real. It's cruelty for cruelty's sake, and that's where you're going to lose support.' Chris Newman, legal director with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said while Democrats were hurt in the 2024 election by the Biden administration's handling of immigration, the politics are shifting as Trump tries to carry out his promise of mass deportations. 'When you see these types of Gestapo-style tactics playing out in real life, the whole country is recoiling to that,' said Newman, who represents the family of Abrego Garcia. He has criticized Democrats, including Newsom, over their response to the Abrego Garcia case, which captured national headlines due to Trump's defiance of multiple federal court orders. In that case, Democrats focused their messaging not on the humanitarian toll of deportations, but due process and the rule of law. Newman said the latest raids show Democrats hesitant to attack Republicans over their immigration policies have misread the moment: 'The wrong lesson (from the 2024 election) is that immigration is inherently a losing issue for Democrats at the top level. The right lesson is that what … the American public wants is a clear, legible immigration policy.' Among the most outspoken California Democrats in recent days has been San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who was pilloried by conservative media outlets over his Instagram post that included a photo labeling ICE agents as 'terrorists' in the restaurant raid. The post drew national attention, with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller accusing politicians on the left of 'openly encouraging violence against law enforcement to aid and abet the invasion of America.' Elo-Rivera, who's also a member of the progressive Working Families Party, said while the restaurant incident made headlines, it was indicative of more aggressive ICE actions that have rattled his district near the U.S.-Mexico border — tactics he argues are designed to stoke fear. He said while Democrats did a lot of 'hemming and hawing' post-election over the party's stance on immigration, they now have a chance to make a sharp contrast with the GOP by consistently advocating for the dignity and rights of migrants. 'Immigration is not a distraction for Democrats. We just need to have the conversation on our terms,' Elo-Rivera said. 'Unfortunately, there's folks that think they need to see a poll first before they take a position.'
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Zelensky Addresses 'Complicated' Aftermath of Oval Office Blowup With Trump
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview that aired on Sunday revealed the difficulty that followed the high-profile blowup between himself and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in late February. Zelensky, speaking with ABC News' Martha Raddatz in Ukraine, described the situation as "quite complicated" as he had to try and repair relations with his American counterpart. "It's important that I defend my position and I was trying to do that in the Oval Office," he said. Why It Matters Trump had said he would end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of retaking office, but later he admitted that the situation was fairly complicated, at times saying that Ukraine is "more difficult, frankly, to deal with." Trump also said he worried Russian President Vladimir Putin may be trying to drag out peace negotiations while pressing on with the war that began in February 2022. The lack of progress has prompted Trump to start taking a more laid-back approach to the conflict, best encapsulated last week when he compared the warring nations to "young children fighting like a park." "You try to pull them apart and they don't want to be pulled apart," he said. "Sometimes you have to let them fight for a while." Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media in Kyiv on May 19. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media in Kyiv on May 19. Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images What To Know Trump and Zelensky had a falling out on February 28 when the Ukrainian leader visited the White House to sign a deal that would grant the U.S. access to his country's vast mineral reserves in a move the U.S. assured would create strong economic ties and deepen the threat to Russia continuing to escalate the conflict. In the now-famous exchange, Zelensky asked about the value of deals when Putin had broken previously agreed upon ones, which in turn provoked an angry response from Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Trump declared that Zelensky had "no cards" to play in the conflict and needed the U.S. to have any chance of survival. Speaking with Raddatz on Sunday through a translator, Zelensky maintained the need to defend his position and to stand up for his people. "We all saw that Oval Office, chaotic, disastrous meeting. I know after that meeting, you tried to repair that relationship. Tell us what it was like in the aftermath," Raddatz said. "It's quite complicated. You could watch it live, and it was very clear and very straightforward," Zelensky said. "I used to remind everyone: Cameras don't lie. Everybody could see on their television screens. I think the result of that meeting, I was very honest and open when I said that a small country is fighting for its life against the giant with all that evil they brought with their army and weapons to our land." He added: "Six hundred and thirty-one children lost their lives. For some, those are numbers, but for me, it's important that I defend my position and I was trying to do that in the Oval Office." President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28 in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28 in Washington, pair would not speak directly again until they came face-to-face two months later at the funeral of Pope Francis in late April. Photos from that meeting show the two presidents sitting in close and isolated conversation. Zelensky said Sunday that following that meeting, he would "like to believe that the relationship has changed for the better," but added, "I don't know for sure. I can't give you 100 percent guarantee." The Ukrainian president also said he would like to speak more with Trump, but that other people "communicate with the president more than me and they deliver different messages to him." However, continuing to work with the U.S. proves vital for the Ukrainian leader, who said he is "convinced that the president of the United States has all the powers and enough leverage to unite European leaders," whom he said are "all looking at President Trump as a leader for the free world, a free democratic world and they are waiting for him, so he has to do it. He must." Zelensky also addressed the potential end of U.S. military aid, saying once again, as he has so often in the past year, that "without it, there is a greater chance Russia will win and Ukraine will suffer much more loss of life, much more." Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with President Donald Trump during Pope Francis' funeral at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 26. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with President Donald Trump during Pope Francis' funeral at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 26. Office of the President of Ukraine via Getty Images What People Are Saying John Foreman, former United Kingdom defense attache to Moscow and Kyiv, previously told Newsweek: "[Trump's] statement that the U.S. is backing away from being a mediator shows his instinct for self-preservation having failed to deliver peace as he promised. We shouldn't be surprised. Trump has consistently used carrots rather than sticks. It is clear he values a relationship with Russia, and an odd friendship with Putin, over Ukraine." Secretary of State Marco Rubio told U.S. lawmakers last month: "What the president is trying to do is end...a bloody, costly war that neither side can win," adding Putin "hasn't gotten a single concession, he hasn't got a single sanction lifted." What Happens Next As Russia and Ukraine continue to attack each other, the prospect of successful peace talks remain distant. Meanwhile, a bipartisan sanctions bill is already awaiting approval in the U.S. Congress, which lawmakers hope could add pressure to Putin.
