Chinese state-backed cyber espionage group Salt Typhoon, which has been in the news for its breach of U.S. telecom firms, was first discovered on the federal network using a different name, according to Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
“We saw it as a separate campaign called another goofy cyber name. And we were able to—based on the visibility that we had within the federal networks—to be able to connect some dots,” she said during a discussion at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Jan. 15.
The Salt Typhoon intrusions allegedly exposed a huge swathe of Americans’ call logs to Chinese spies and rattled the U.S. intelligence community. In some cases, hackers are alleged to have intercepted conversations between prominent U.S. politicians and government officials. Some lawmakers have described the intrusions as the worst telecom hacks in U.S. history.
By December, U.S. authorities had discovered that nine American telecommunication companies had been breached by Salt Typhoon; however, the Chinese-state-backed hacking group carried out its espionage campaign likely “one to two years” before being discovered, according to the CISA director.
The earlier identification under a different name enabled officials to connect the dots with the help of tipsters from the private sector, which Easterly said ultimately “led to kind of cracking open the larger Salt Typhoon piece.” […]
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At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.
