US-based satellite and wireless communications company Viasat was hit in a cyberespionage campaign attributed to Chinese state-affiliated hackers, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The campaign, linked to a group known as “Salt Typhoon,” targeted major US telecommunications companies and gathered tens of millions of phone records during last year’s presidential campaign. Previously identified victims include Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Inc., and Lumen Technologies.
The breach at Viasat was discovered earlier this year. The company said it worked with a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate the intrusion, concluding that there was “no evidence to suggest any impact to customers.”
“Viasat believes that the incident has been remediated and has not detected any recent activity related to this event,” the company added in a follow-up statement, citing the sensitivity of the government’s ongoing investigation.
The FBI, which is coordinating with the affected firms, has not publicly confirmed Viasat’s involvement. Brett Leatherman, head of the FBI’s cyber division, said in a recent interview that the attackers gained access to law enforcement surveillance tools and call records, including those tied to government officials and political figures.
Viasat provides secure communications services for military and government entities globally, as well as in-flight internet for commercial airlines. The provider was previously targeted in a cyberattack linked to Russia just before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, causing widespread service disruptions across Europe.
China’s government has repeatedly denied involvement in the Salt Typhoon campaign. In January 2025, the US authorities imposed sanctions on a Chinese company and the country’s Ministry of State Security for their alleged roles in the operation.
