FBI cyber cop: Salt Typhoon pwned ‘nearly every American’

FBI cyber cop: Salt Typhoon pwned ‘nearly every American’ reports that China’s Salt Typhoon cyberspies hoovered up information belonging to millions of people in the United States during a years-long intrusion into telecommunications networks. According to The Register, there’s a good chance this espionage campaign has stolen information from nearly every American, a warning given by Michael Machtinger, deputy assistant director for the FBI’s cyber division, in a Thursday interview.

The operation began at least in 2019 but wasn’t uncovered by US authorities until last fall, and on 28 August 2025 US law enforcement and intelligence agencies, along with counterparts from 12 other countries, warned that the ongoing espionage activity had expanded far beyond nine American telcos and government networks. Machtinger noted that at least 80 countries were hit by the digital intrusions. The report underscores the breadth of Salt Typhoon’s reach and the growing perception that no segment of the public is safe from the campaign.