Sen. Murphy Among Officials Targeted In Vietnam's Hack Attempt: Report

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy appears to be one of several officials that Vietnam targeted in an attempted hack, multiple outlets reported Monday, including The Washington Post.

The apparent hack came as the United States negotiated a deal with Hanoi, Vietnam, that aimed to counter Chinese influence in the region, The Post reported. Murphy, who has served as the junior senator from Connecticut since 2013, is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and chairman of its subcommittee on the Middle East.

Forensic examination of documents and links posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, indicated that Vietnamese government agents tried to plant spyware on the phones of politicians and other experts by tempting them to click links that would install hacking software called Predator, according to the outlet.

The software would then turn on the user's microphone and camera and retrieve all files, the outlet reported.

Other people targeted include Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul and CNN's Chief National Security Analyst Jim Sciutto, according to the Post.

No evidence has emerged that would suggest the hacking attempts succeeded, the outlet reported.

Read the full report in The Washington Post.