US National Guard unit was 'extensively' hacked by Salt Typhoon in 2024, memo says
WASHINGTON - A U.S. state's Army National Guard network was thoroughly hacked by a Chinese cyberespionage group nicknamed "Salt Typhoon," according to a Department of Homeland Security memo.
The memo obtained by Property of the People, a national security transparency nonprofit, said the hackers "extensively compromised" the unnamed state Army National Guard's network between March and December 2024 and exfiltrated maps and "data traffic" with counterparts' networks in "every other US state and at least four US territories."
The National Guard and the Department of Homeland Security's cyber defense arm, CISA, did not immediately return messages. News of the memo was first reported by NBC News.
Salt Typhoon has emerged as one of the top concerns of American cyber defhen Coatesenders. U.S. officials allege that the hacking group is doing more than just gathering intelligence; it is prepositioning itself to paralyze U.S. critical infrastructure in case of a conflict with China. Beijing has repeatedly denied being behind the intrusions.
The memo, which said it drew on reporting from the Pentagon, said that Salt Typhoon's success in compromising states' Army National Guard networks nationwide "could undermine local cybersecurity efforts to protect critical infrastructure," in part because such units are often "integrated with state fusion centers responsible for sharing threat information—including cyber threats." REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US-funded contraceptives for poor nations to be burned in France, sources say
The USAID building sits closed to employees after a memo was issued advising agency personnel to work remotely, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo U.S.-funded contraceptives worth nearly $10 million are being sent to France from Belgium to be incinerated, after Washington rejected offers from the United Nations and family planning organisations to buy or ship the supplies to poor nations, two sources told Reuters. The supplies have been stuck for months in a warehouse in Geel, a city in the Belgian province of Antwerp, following President Donald Trump's decision to freeze U.S. foreign aid in January. They comprise contraceptive implants and pills as well as intrauterine devices to help prevent unwanted pregnancies, according to seven sources and a screengrab shared by an eighth source confirming the planned destruction. The U.S. government will spend $160,000 to incinerate the stocks at a facility in France that handles medical waste, according to four of the sources with knowledge of the matter, following Trump's decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment on the negotiations to save the contraceptives from destruction or the plans to incinerate them. U.S. lawmakers have introduced two bills this month to prevent the destruction of the supplies but aid groups say the bills are unlikely to be passed in time to stop the incineration. The Belgian foreign ministry said Brussels had held talks with U.S. authorities and "explored all possible options to prevent the destruction, including temporary relocation." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore's domestic recycling rate drops to all-time low of 11% Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kicks in Singapore Local buyers are key to recovery of prime district condo market Singapore New online channel for public to report illegal ride-hailing services Singapore Ex-Tanjong Pagar United footballer charged with assault after Singapore Premier League match in Feb Singapore COE prices for cars mostly unchanged; premium for commercial vehicles up 2.9% Life The Projector will resume daily screenings at Golden Mile Tower. Is it exiting Cineleisure next? Singapore Youth Courts will take a new approach to cases, focused on underlying issues and supporting needs "Despite these efforts, and with full respect for our partners, no viable alternative could be secured. Nevertheless, Belgium continues to actively seek solutions to avoid this regrettable outcome," it said in a statement shared with Reuters on Tuesday. "Sexual and reproductive health must not be subject to ideological constraints," it added. The supplies, worth $9.7 million, are due to expire between April 2027 and September 2031, according to an internal document listing the warehouse stocks and verified by three sources. Sarah Shaw, Associate Director of Advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, told Reuters the non-profit organisation had volunteered to pay for the supplies to be repackaged without USAID branding and shipped to countries in need, but the offer was declined by the U.S. government. "MSI offered to pay for repackaging, shipping and import duties but they were not open to that... We were told that the U.S. government would only sell the supplies at the full market value," said Shaw. She did not elaborate on how much the NGO was prepared to pay, but said she felt the rejection was based on the Trump's administration's more restrictive stance on abortion and family planning. "This is clearly not about saving money. It feels more like an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women." She added that many countries in sub-Saharan Africa had relied on USAID for access to contraception and that the aid cuts would lead to a rise in unsafe abortions. The United Nations' sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, also offered to buy the contraceptives outright, three sources told Reuters, without disclosing the financial terms of the proposal. However, negotiations broke down, a source with knowledge of the talks said, in part due to a lack of response from the U.S. government. UNFPA declined to comment. One of the sources with knowledge of the issue said that the Trump administration was acting in accordance with the Mexico City policy, an anti-abortion pact in which Trump reinstated U.S. participation in January. The pact forbids the U.S. government from contributing to or working with organisations providing funding or supplies that offer access to abortions. The source said there was no way for the U.S. government to ensure that UNFPA would not share the contraceptives with groups offering abortions, violating the Mexico City policy. The source also said the matter was complicated by the fact that the contraceptives in Belgium were embossed with the USAID trademark and Washington did not want any USAID-branded supplies to be rerouted elsewhere. UNFPA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the concerns raised by the source. MSI, which says on its website that it fights for a future where everyone can access contraception and abortion, accused the State Department earlier this month of being "hellbent on destroying life-saving medical supplies, incurring additional costs for the U.S. taxpayer in the process." The State Department declined to comment. Abortion is a divisive issue in U.S. politics and was a major issue in the 2024 election won by Trump. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to eliminate a nationwide right to abortion, leaving abortion laws to each of the 50 states. 'DOZENS OF TRUCKLOADS' One of the two sources who told Reuters the stocks of contraceptives were being trucked to France said it would likely take dozens of truckloads and at least two weeks to move the supplies out of the Geel warehouse, with a third source also confirming the scale of the operation. The French government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Chemonics, the contractor managing the supply chain for USAID's family planning programme, declined to comment on the plans to destroy the supplies. An internal USAID memo, sent in April, said a large quantity of contraceptives was being kept in warehouses and they should be "immediately transferred to another entity to prevent waste or additional costs". REUTERS
Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Australia makes second $525 million AUKUS payment amid US review
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN-783) is seen off the coast of Western Australia, Australia March 16, 2025. COLIN MURTY/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo SYDNEY - Australia has paid the United States A$800 million ($525 million) in the second instalment under the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, despite an ongoing formal review of the agreement by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the latest instalment on Wednesday, following an initial $500 million paid in February. In 2023, the United States, Australia and Britain unveiled details of a plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Australia committed to spend A$368 billion over three decades in its biggest-ever defence deal. Canberra is due to pay the U.S. $2 billion by year-end to support the expansion of American submarine shipyards, Reuters reported in April. 'There's a schedule of payments to be made. We have an agreement with the United States as well as with the United Kingdom, it is about increasing their capacity, their industrial capacity,' Albanese told national broadcaster ABC. 'As part of that as well, we have Australians on the ground, learning those skills.' Trump launched a formal review of AUKUS in June to examine whether the pact met his "American First" criteria. It will be led by Elbridge Colby, who in the past has expressed skepticism about AUKUS. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore's domestic recycling rate drops to all-time low of 11% Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kicks in Singapore Local buyers are key to recovery of prime district condo market Singapore New online channel for public to report illegal ride-hailing services Singapore Ex-Tanjong Pagar United footballer charged with assault after Singapore Premier League match in Feb Singapore COE prices for cars mostly unchanged; premium for commercial vehicles up 2.9% Life The Projector will resume daily screenings at Golden Mile Tower. Is it exiting Cineleisure next? Singapore Youth Courts will take a new approach to cases, focused on underlying issues and supporting needs Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its own defense as tensions grow over China's military buildup, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed. 'We support AUKUS," Albanese said. 'We have an agreement to a treaty level, with our partners, signed, of course in San Diego with the United States and United Kingdom." Washington will sell several Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, while Britain and Australia will later build a new AUKUS-class submarine. REUTERS
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Sinner re-appoints former fitness coach Ferrara
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 28, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner poses for a picture with the trophy and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara after winning the final against Russia's Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo LONDON - Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has re-appointed his former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara with immediate effect, the Italian world number one confirmed on Wednesday. Sinner parted ways with Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi last year following the investigation into his positive tests for banned substance clostebol in March. "The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik's management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and U.S. Open," a statement from Sinner's team said. "Umberto has played an important role in Jannik's development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level." Sinner received a three-month ban agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in February. WADA had appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an independent tribunal's decision last August to clear Sinner of wrongdoing. Sinner, who returned to action in May and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final before beating him to win Wimbledon, said clostebol, which can build muscle mass, entered his system after Naldi applied an over-the-counter spray to a cut on his own hand before carrying out treatments on Sinner. The spray had been given to Naldi by trainer Ferrara. Sinner was cleared of fault or negligence by an independent tribunal, which accepted that he had inadvertently been contaminated with the substance. Speaking at last year's U.S. Open, Sinner explained his decision to part ways with Ferrara and Naldi. "Now, because of these mistakes, I'm not feeling that confident to continue with them. I was struggling a lot in the last months. I was waiting for the result. The only thing I need right now is some clean air," he said. Ferrara, who had laid the blame for the incident on Naldi, worked with Sinner's fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini this year. REUTERS
