Furthermore, a Democratic source revealed that the staff of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was included among those targeted.
The sources did not specify whether the devices used by the campaigns were successfully breached or if any communications were intercepted by Chinese operatives. It remains uncertain who within the Harris campaign was affected or if additional members of the Trump campaign, beyond Trump and Vance, were also targeted.
In a joint statement, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced that the federal government is investigating unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by entities linked to the People's Republic of China.
The statement further noted that following the identification of specific malicious activities aimed at the sector, the FBI and CISA promptly informed affected companies, provided technical support, and quickly disseminated information to help other potential victims.
The FBI has refrained from commenting on the specific individuals targeted in this campaign.
Recently, the U.S. government determined that China has successfully hacked three American telecommunications firms: AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies. Lumen has chosen not to comment, while AT&T did not respond to a request for a statement.
Rich Young, a spokesperson for Verizon, told NBC News, “We are aware that a highly sophisticated nation-state actor has reportedly targeted several U.S. telecommunications providers to gather intelligence.”
“Along with federal law enforcement, industry peers and third-party cyber experts, we have been and are working to confirm, assess and remediate any potential impact,” Young said.
No U.S. official that NBC News has consulted has indicated that this incident is part of a "hack-and-leak" strategy or any initiative aimed at influencing the 2024 U.S. election.
A representative from China's embassy in Washington, D.C., stated in an email to NBC News that they are "not aware of the specific situation" and are unable to provide comments.
“The presidential elections are the United States’ domestic affairs. China has no intention and will not interfere in the US election. We hope that the US side will not make accusations against China in the election,” the spokesperson said.
It remains uncertain whether the hack was intended to impact the presidential election. China is known for its extensive cyberespionage capabilities and has a history of conducting aggressive operations to gather intelligence on U.S. corporations and government officials.
The ongoing presidential election has been characterized by detailed allegations from the U.S. that both Iran and Russia have engaged in efforts to influence voters in favor of their chosen candidates, Harris and Trump. While Iran has largely denied these claims, Russian state media has acknowledged such activities in a mocking manner.