The method is usually used in attack operations against other countries’ telecommunication and network operators. When the NSA gains control of the targeted telecom network operator’s system, it is able to monitor the target’s cellphone communication content. In the attack against Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, the internet service provider located in China was compromised by the NSA with the “supply chain” attack method. As a result, the telephone calls and internet activities of the victims were tracked by the NSA in real time.
Such an extensive surveillance program requires a substantial annual budget, and with the explosive growth of internet data, the demand for funding is bound to rise, the report said, adding that this is one of the main reasons that the U.S. government, in collaboration with its intelligence agencies, devised and promoted the “Volt Typhoon” operation.
