The Department of Defense (DOD) has discovered the National Guard Systems have been hacked by Salt Typhoon. Although the DOD has attributed the attack to Salt Typhoon, NBC News reports that a representative for China’s embassy in Washington believes that the United States “has failed to prove China is behind the Salt Typhoon hacks.” 

Nevertheless, Salt Typhoon has been responsible for cyberattacks against the U.S. before. One such example was an incident from last year, in which Salt Typhoon hacked at least eight of the nation’s largest telecommunications organizations. 

According to a memo from the DOD, from March 2024 through December 2024, the group “extensively compromised a U.S. state’s Army National Guard network.” The specific state affected is not mentioned. 

As the National Guard Systems are under state authority, they can be integrated with law enforcement, local governments, or other entities. Therefore, this hack could leave integrated systems compromised.