Podcast Episode
The Norwegian Police Security Service, known as PST, revealed the compromise in its twenty twenty-six National Threat Assessment, published on Friday. The agency's director general, Beate Gangas, described Norway's current security environment as the most serious since the Second World War.
In the United States, the group infiltrated at least nine major telecommunications providers, including AT and T and Verizon, allegedly enabling Chinese intelligence to intercept communications of senior political figures during the twenty twenty-four presidential campaign.
Norway Confirms Chinese Salt Typhoon Hackers Breached Its Networks
February 7, 2026
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Norway's Police Security Service has publicly confirmed that the Chinese state-sponsored Salt Typhoon hacking campaign compromised network devices in Norwegian organisations. The disclosure adds a major European dimension to what officials call an epoch-defining global cyber espionage threat targeting telecommunications and critical infrastructure across more than eighty countries.
Norway Becomes Latest Salt Typhoon Target
Norway has officially confirmed that Chinese state-sponsored hackers from the Salt Typhoon campaign breached network devices belonging to Norwegian organisations, marking the first publicly acknowledged intrusion by the group in a Nordic country.The Norwegian Police Security Service, known as PST, revealed the compromise in its twenty twenty-six National Threat Assessment, published on Friday. The agency's director general, Beate Gangas, described Norway's current security environment as the most serious since the Second World War.
A Global Campaign Expanding Its Reach
Salt Typhoon, widely believed to be operated by China's Ministry of State Security, has already penetrated telecommunications networks in the United States and Canada. The FBI disclosed in August twenty twenty-five that at least two hundred American companies had been compromised, with the campaign reaching across eighty countries.In the United States, the group infiltrated at least nine major telecommunications providers, including AT and T and Verizon, allegedly enabling Chinese intelligence to intercept communications of senior political figures during the twenty twenty-four presidential campaign.
Technical Approach and Private Sector Links
PST revealed that Salt Typhoon targeted vulnerable routers, firewalls, and VPN appliances to gain persistent access with minimal footprint on host systems. The agency also noted the group's links to private Chinese cybersecurity firms, highlighting the central role of contractors in expanding Beijing's intelligence capabilities.Congressional Pressure Mounts in the US
The Norwegian disclosure comes as American lawmakers intensify scrutiny of the breach. Senator Maria Cantwell has called for the CEOs of AT and T and Verizon to testify publicly, accusing both companies of blocking the release of security assessment reports prepared by cybersecurity firm Mandiant. Experts and former officials have expressed doubt that the hackers have been fully removed from American networks, citing the enormous complexity of modern telecommunications infrastructure.Strategic Implications
The expansion of Salt Typhoon operations into Northern Europe signals a systematic campaign targeting NATO allies' critical communications infrastructure, raising urgent questions about collective cyber defence readiness across the Western alliance.Published February 7, 2026 at 12:52am
