Senator Cantwell Demands Telco CEOs Testify on Salt Typhoon Security Failures

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has escalated her concerns about the telecommunications industry's response to the Salt Typhoon cyber attacks, demanding that AT&T and Verizon CEOs testify before Congress about their security measures.

In a letter to Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Cantwell expressed serious doubts about whether major telcos have implemented adequate protections following what has been described as the worst telecom hack in US history.

Telcos Accused of Withholding Critical Security Assessments

Cantwell's letter highlights a troubling pattern of non-cooperation from the affected companies. Both AT&T and Verizon have refused to release security assessments conducted by Mandiant in the aftermath of the 2024 Salt Typhoon revelations. These assessments, according to Cantwell, detail specific steps the companies took to secure their networks and eject the Chinese-linked hackers.

The Senator's frustration extends beyond the companies themselves. She claims that both AT&T and Verizon have actively worked to prevent her office from obtaining copies of these reports from Mandiant, raising questions about what information they might be trying to conceal.

"Both AT&T and Verizon have chosen not to cooperate, which raises serious questions about the extent to which Americans who use these networks remain exposed to unacceptable risk," Cantwell wrote. She emphasized the need for direct testimony from company leadership to provide clarity and confidence about the security of American communications infrastructure.

Cost Concerns Cited as Barrier to Security Improvements

The Senator's letter references reports indicating that telecommunications providers have taken few protective actions against Advanced Persistent Threat actors like Salt Typhoon, primarily due to cost considerations. This revelation is particularly concerning given the FBI and other federal agencies have provided detailed guidance on mitigating risks from such sophisticated threat actors.

Chinese-linked hackers with Salt Typhoon reportedly gained extensive access to the networks of major carriers, enabling them to spy on customers including officials at US government agencies. While telcos claim to have reinforced their network perimeters and ejected the intruders after the breaches became public, Cantwell remains unconvinced that these measures go far enough.

Broader Cybersecurity Landscape

The Salt Typhoon controversy emerges against a backdrop of increasing cyber threats and security challenges across multiple sectors. Recent developments include:

• OpenClaw's partnership with VirusTotal: The AI assistant platform has teamed up with the security scanning service to vet custom plugins, though developers acknowledge this won't catch all potential threats, particularly those involving natural language manipulation or prompt injection techniques.

• Amaranth-Dragon APT group: Checkpoint researchers have identified a previously unknown Chinese cyber espionage group targeting Southeast Asian countries, particularly government institutions and law enforcement agencies. The group demonstrates sophisticated capabilities, quickly exploiting newly disclosed vulnerabilities like the WinRAR compression flaw reported in September 2025.

• Ukrainian POS fraud scheme: Four individuals were arrested for stealing over ₴13 million ($302,000) through a complex scheme involving fake businesses, point-of-sale terminals, and bogus refund transactions. The criminals converted stolen funds to cryptocurrency and used P2P trading to launder the money.

• SmarterMail vulnerabilities: Microsoft Exchange alternative SmarterMail has faced multiple critical vulnerabilities in quick succession, with three issues added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog in just two weeks. These include authentication bypasses and remote code execution flaws that have been observed in ransomware campaigns.

• Cryptocurrency-related kidnappings in France: A disturbing trend has emerged with multiple abductions targeting family members of cryptocurrency executives for ransom purposes. In the most recent case, a woman and her mother were rescued after a bystander heard their cries for help.

Implications for National Security

The Salt Typhoon incident and subsequent lack of transparency from major telcos raise fundamental questions about the security of America's communications infrastructure. With Chinese-linked hackers having potentially accessed sensitive government communications, the stakes could not be higher.

Cantwell's demand for CEO testimony represents a significant escalation in congressional oversight of the telecommunications industry's cybersecurity practices. The outcome of this confrontation could have far-reaching implications for how telcos balance security investments against profitability, and how much transparency they're required to provide regarding their security postures.

As cyber threats continue to evolve in sophistication and scope, the ability of critical infrastructure providers to protect sensitive data and communications remains a paramount concern for national security officials and lawmakers alike.