Security researchers have raised alarms about Chinese-owned mobile route firms dominating the global interconnect industry, with concerns about potential exposure to foreign surveillance. The widespread use of networks owned and controlled by Chinese operators, such as China Mobile International, China Telecom Global, and China Unicom Global, in routing sensitive telecom traffic has been identified in a report from iVerify.
According to the report titled “Abusing Data in the Middle,” mobile providers in 35 countries, including key U.S. allies like Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, have been found routing mobile traffic through Chinese interconnect providers. This raises significant concerns as Chinese-based firms could potentially gain access to unencrypted mobile signaling data, enabling them to intercept authentication credentials, text messages, location data, and internet traffic for millions of users worldwide. The report also warns about the possibility of man-in-the-middle attacks on a massive scale by China’s state-owned telecom providers.
The vulnerabilities exposed by routing mobile traffic through Chinese-owned networks are not merely theoretical, as the report highlights past incidents of surveillance campaigns orchestrated by foreign adversaries and cybercriminals exploiting vulnerabilities in U.S. carrier roaming agreements linked to Huawei equipment on foreign networks. Threat actors have been able to exploit mobile network vulnerabilities to track device locations, hijack accounts, install spyware, and launch targeted phishing attacks, emphasizing the need for a critical assessment of mobile interconnect security.
Beyond U.S. allies like New Zealand and South Korea, the report reveals that leading operators in Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, also rely on China state-owned interconnect networks. The integration of these networks into global telecom infrastructure poses a direct threat to the privacy and security of billions of mobile users worldwide, according to iVerify.
Highlighting the intensification of Chinese cyberthreat actors targeting U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, the report references a prolonged and aggressive campaign attributed to the group known as Salt Typhoon, linked to China’s Ministry of State Security. This group targeted networks of major U.S. providers, with officials suggesting that the threat was deeply embedded in domestic telecom networks even before becoming public knowledge in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
In response to these escalating cybersecurity concerns, researchers urge for policy intervention to address the risks posed by the dominance of Chinese-owned mobile route firms in the global interconnect industry. The call for a critical assessment of mobile interconnect security is emphasized, along with warnings about the potential for international espionage firms to exploit embedded telecom surveillance services facilitated by Chinese-owned mobile providers.
As the debate around critical infrastructure security and data protection continues to evolve, the implications of relying on Chinese-owned networks for routing sensitive telecom traffic underscore the urgent need for proactive measures to safeguard mobile users’ privacy and security on a global scale. The ongoing efforts of threat actors to exploit vulnerabilities in telecom networks demand heightened vigilance and collaboration among stakeholders to address the evolving cybersecurity landscape effectively.