China hack: Chinese hacking efforts are much more widespread than previously reported, sources say

The Chinese effort to hack prominent Americans is much more in-depth than previously reported, ABC News has learned.

Sources told ABC News that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials are concerned that the Chinese government’s spy operation had been going on for more than a year — and perhaps longer — before it was recently discovered.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, the Chinese appear to be able to collect vast amounts of data in a sweeping covert campaign targeting the cellphones and mobile devices of business executives and other high-profile Americans from both political parties.

Evidence is mounting that in some cases the Chinese operation was able to gain access to, or gain access to, some Verizon cell phone users, A.T.&T and Lumen were communicating.

Authorities are trying to determine whether the Chinese were able to listen to conversations and view text messages in real time as they occurred, or whether they captured the material for review at a later time.

Sources said U.S. officials are only beginning to understand the extent of the Chinese operation, but what they have discovered so far is deeply concerning and represents a massive invasion of privacy on a disturbing scale.

MORE | Cellphone of Trump’s chief lawyer compromised by Chinese hackers, sources say

The targets included not only former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, but also individuals working at a number of government agencies.

The FBI is systematically contacting victims, sources said.

Salt Typhoon, the name given to an advanced persistent threat actor led by the Chinese government, is believed to be behind the operation.

Intelligence officials suspect that Salt Typhoon hackers have exploited routers as a gateway to cell phones and mobile devices, and there are concerns that China’s intrusion capabilities have made significant progress.

In a statement issued last month, Verizon representatives said: “We are aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence. “We have been and are working to confirm, assess and remediate any potential impacts, along with federal law enforcement agencies, industry partners and third-party cyber experts.”

Representatives for AT&T and Lumen declined to comment

According to sources, the FBI has determined that Blanche’s communications with family and friends have been compromised, and investigators are still trying to determine whether communications with more sensitive contacts have been affected.

Sources have told ABC News that Blanche may be considered to become Trump’s next counsel or take on a senior law enforcement-related role under a new Trump administration.

The massive Chinese hacking operation made national headlines two weeks ago when the FBI issued a statement saying it was investigating recently identified “malicious activities” by “actors affiliated with” the Chinese government targeting commercial telecommunications infrastructure.

The statement said the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency notified victims of the operation. This apparently included private companies and individuals, who sources say subsequently tightened security measures and replaced compromised cellphones.

ABC News previously reported that Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, were told last month that they and others involved in the campaign were among the victims whose cellphones were targeted. Democrats were also targeted, ABC News was told.

The FBI believes the hackers did not have access to encrypted applications on the phones they targeted, but the investigation is still ongoing to confirm that and identify additional victims, sources said.

Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that hackers linked to Chinese intelligence agencies compromised phone lines used by politicians and top national security and policy officials in the U.S. government, giving the hackers “call logs, plain text and some audio from possibly thousands of Americans and others they came into contact with.”

Asked about the latest reporting from ABC News, an FBI spokesperson declined to comment.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, said in a statement: “Make no mistake, foreign adversaries are terrified of President Trump’s strength and determination. President Trump will stand up to our enemies and defend the United States against all aggression. He will not let anything hold him back or get in his way to fight for the American people and make America great again.”

Blanche oversaw Trump’s defense in the former president’s weekslong criminal trial in New York, where a jury convicted Trump in May on 34 counts of felony fraud stemming from his role in falsifying business records to extract hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential elections.

The sentencing will take place later this month, but it is unclear whether that will happen after Trump was re-elected to the White House on Tuesday.

After Trump’s conviction in May, Blanche told the Associated Press that Trump “knows there’s still a lot of fight and there’s a lot of opportunity to resolve this, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”