Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:35am on 28 Jan 2026,Wednesday International
China allegedly hacked mobile phones of senior British Downing Street officials between 2021-2024, compromising communications of aides to former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. The espionage operation, known as Salt Typhoon, may still be ongoing, potentially affecting current PM Keir Starmer. US intelligence warns the breach accessed text messages, calls, metadata, and location data. This forms part of a broader global campaign targeting Five Eyes intelligence partners including the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The FBI warned Chinese hackers infiltrated telecommunications networks worldwide. Britain's MI5 alerted Parliament in November about Chinese state espionage threats, while parliamentary committees criticized government's inadequate response. (PC: Times Now)
