The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday that Chinese state-sponsored actors had hacked into some department workstations and gained access to unclassified documents, in what officials described as a “major cybersecurity incident.” The agency said it was working with the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to determine the impact of the attack.
According to a letter sent by the Treasury Department to U.S. lawmakers, the hackers infiltrated BeyondTrust, a third-party software service provider, and used a stolen key to remotely access certain workstations. The incident marks the latest breach of sensitive data in a year that has seen an uptick in high-profile cyberattacks on the United States.
In late September, it was revealed that Salt Typhoon, a Chinese government-linked hacking group, had hacked into at least eight major U.S. telecommunication networks, including AT&T and Verizon; last week, the White House added a ninth, unnamed network to the list. In 2023, Chinese actors hacked into the emails of U.S. State and Commerce department officials, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, weeks before Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied any involvement in the recent hacking. “We have repeatedly stated our position on such groundless accusations lacking evidence. China has always opposed all forms of cyberattacks, and we are even more opposed to spreading false information about China for political purposes,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the ministry.
“Although China is becoming a far broader threat for America’s cyberdefenders, other U.S. adversaries continue to pose significant challenges,” FP’s Rishi Iyengar reported in April.
In September, the Justice Department charged three Iranian nationals with hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and in October, the department revealed that the United States had seized 41 internet domains operated by Russian assets to hack into U.S. government agencies, including the Defense and State departments.
Foreign Policy
