The U.S. government has confirmed that hackers with links to China breached multiple U.S. telecommunication service providers to access the wiretap systems used by law enforcement to surveil Americans.

The disclosure is the latest sign that the Chinese burrowed deep inside U.S. communications networks in a far-reaching espionage campaign.

An FBI investigation into reported hacks at AT&T and Verizon reveals 'a broad and significant cyber espionage campaign,' the agency says.

That, combined with reports that Chinese hackers had targeted telephones belonging to then-presidential and vice presidential candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance, along with other senior political figures, raised widespread concern over the security of America's telecommunications infrastructure.

U.S. agencies disclosed that some government officials saw their communications compromised in connection with a major telecom hacking operation tied to the Chinese government.

China-affiliated actors "have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies" to enable the theft of U.S. customer call records and access to the private communications of some individuals involved in government or politics,