Cyberattack: China hacks email systems of US congressional committee staff

The recent investigation report revealed that China has hacked the emails used by congressional staff on powerful committees in the US House of Representatives as part of a massive cyber espionage campaign known as ‘Salt Typhoon.’

As reported by the Financial Times on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, a Chinese hacking group nicknamed ‘Salt Typhoon’ has accessed email systems used by some staffers on the House China committee as well as aides on panels covering foreign affairs, intelligence, and the armed services.

While FT’s report did not mention which specific staffers were targeted.

The White House and the offices of the four committees reportedly targeted in the surveillance sweep did not immediately respond to the latest report.

As per FT, the attacks are the latest element of an ongoing cyber campaign against U.S. communication networks by the Ministry of State Security, China’s intelligence service.

The MSS has been operating Salt Typhoon for several years, which allows China to access the unencrypted phone calls, texts, and voicemails of almost every American and, in some cases, enables access to email accounts.

The Salt Typhoon has also intercepted the calls of senior U.S. officials over the past couple of years, said people familiar with the campaign.

The FT cited a person familiar with the campaign as saying it was unclear whether the attackers had accessed lawmakers' emails in the intrusions, which were detected in December 2025.

U.S. lawmakers and their aides, especially those that oversee America's sprawling military and intelligence agencies, have long been top targets for cyberespionage, and reports of hacks or attempted hacks have surfaced periodically.

However, the Chinese embassy in the U.S. has denied the allegations about Salt Typhoon.

“We firmly oppose the US side making unfounded speculation and accusations, using cyber security to smear and slander China, and spreading all kinds of disinformation about the so-called Chinese hacking threats,” said embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu.

Additionally, all the reports disclosed need further verification from all concerned agencies.