Trump's family, Biden aides among targets in China phone hacking

WASHINGTON - Members of former US president Donald Trump's family, as well as the Biden administration and State Department officials, were among those targeted by the China-linked hackers who were able to break into telecommunications company systems, according to people familiar with the matter.

The sophisticated hacking operation has alarmed national security officials and appears to have targeted a substantial but focused list of people whose communications would be of interest to the Chinese government.

The list of known targets consists of fewer than 100 individuals, these people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive ongoing investigation.

The list of targeted phones includes devices used by high-profile people, including Trump, his son Eric Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The list also includes members of Vice-President Kamala Harris' campaign staff, as well as diplomatic, government and policy experts who are largely unknown to the public but would hold significant interest to Chinese officials eager to learn more about internal US policymaking, these people said.

It is unclear what, if any, data was taken from those individuals.