Chinese hackers infiltrated the networks of several US broadband providers, gaining access to information from systems utilized by the federal government for court-sanctioned wiretapping, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday.

Among the affected telecom companies are Verizon Communications, AT&T, and Lumen Technologies, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The report indicates that the hackers may have maintained access for several months to the network infrastructure that these companies use to comply with US court orders for communication data.

Additionally, the hackers reportedly accessed various segments of internet traffic.

In response, China's foreign ministry stated on Sunday that it was unaware of the alleged attack and accused the United States of fabricating a "false narrative" to implicate China.

The ministry emphasized that in an era where cybersecurity poses a global challenge, such misguided approaches would only obstruct international efforts to collaboratively tackle the issue through dialogue and cooperation.

Beijing has consistently refuted allegations from the US government and others regarding its involvement in hacking foreign computer systems.

Lumen Technologies chose not to provide a comment, while Verizon and AT&T have yet to respond to inquiries for their input.

According to The Journal, the cyberattack was executed by a Chinese hacking group aimed at gathering intelligence, which US investigators have referred to as “Salt Typhoon.”

Earlier this year, US law enforcement disrupted a significant Chinese hacking group known as “Flax Typhoon,” following months of discussions with Beijing regarding extensive cyber espionage efforts under the campaign labeled “Volt Typhoon.”

In response, China’s foreign ministry stated that its cybersecurity agencies had discovered and released evidence indicating that Volt Typhoon was orchestrated by “an international ransomware organization.”