Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated Thursday in an appearance on MSNBC that the widespread hacking campaign by the Chinese government against American telecom companies is a very, very severe issue that is still ongoing.
Mayorkas acknowledged that the lengthy endeavor, known as Salt Typhoon, was a highly complex hack that took time to complete.
One of the biggest intelligence breaches in American history was caused by the hacking campaign. According to a White House official earlier this month, it has compromised dozens of international telecom and internet service providers in addition to eight local ones. The United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand assert that it is a component of a Chinese intelligence program.
In October, the offices of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris told NBC News that they had been notified by the FBI that they were being targeted.
According to Mayorkas, the federal government has taken action, and the telecom companies are concentrating hard on the issue and collaborating with us to fix it.
The data from Salt Typhoon has provided Beijing with a roadmap to help it identify which Chinese spies have been identified by U.S. officials and which have not, according to a Monday New York Times report.
Mayorkas confirmed that China Telecom Americas, the U.S. division of one of China’s biggest telecom firms, received a notice from the Commerce Department last week. According to the notice, the government had made a preliminary determination that China Telecom America constituted a national security concern to the United States due to its cloud service offerings and presence in American networks.
According to Mayorkas, the company has 30 days to reply. According to him, it’s crucial to convey a message that has substance. It is more than just symbolic.
Protecting against drones
U.S. officials, Mayorkas reiterated, did not consider drone sightings in the northeastern U.S. to be a threat to public safety.
He stated, “We are aware of no threat to people’s security, and we will take action if we learn of any cause for concern.” And we will get in touch with the American people right away.
According to Mayorkas, Congress must enact legislation that will grant DHS and state and local authorities greater authority to control drones. Drones are not a new phenomenon, he added, and DHS needs our authorities to catch up with the development of drone activity over the last 10 years.
Officials need the authority to take down drones when the situation so warrants, Mayorkas said, and that state and local officials, law enforcement officials, should have counter drone authorities with appropriate safeguards.
Additionally, Mayorkas defended the immigration record of the Biden administration. In reference to President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, he said that the administration has expelled, returned, or removed more people than the previous one.
He argued that the Biden Administration has been tough on enforcement” and “focused intensively on individuals who pose a public safety threat.”
Since Biden took executive actions in June designed to deter migrants from crossing into the U.S., “the number of individuals encountered at our southern border are below 2019 levels, Mayorkas said. And it’s crucial to remember that.
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