The Biden-Harris government announced on Monday that a state-sponsored actor from China breached the U.S. Treasury Department. According to federal officials, the attack allowed the hackers to access workstations used by government employees and obtain unclassified materials. This development follows recent reports that Chinese entities had infiltrated U.S. telecommunications networks, gaining access to the conversations and text messages of American officials.
On December 8, BeyondTrust, a third-party software service vendor, alerted the Treasury Department about the security breach. The hackers had secured a security key, enabling remote access to certain department workstations and associated documents. The Treasury Department communicated this information to lawmakers in a formal letter.
The department stated that it investigated the breach in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the intelligence community, and other relevant agencies to assess its impact. The compromised service has since been disabled, and no current evidence suggests that the Chinese hackers maintain access to the Treasury’s systems.
A Treasury spokesman emphasized that the department treats threats to its systems and data seriously and will enhance the security of the financial system against cyber threats.
While the timeline of the hacking incident remains undisclosed, the Treasury Department has committed to providing additional details in a forthcoming report to Congress.
This breach highlights ongoing concerns about the security of U.S. infrastructure systems. In separate events, the Chinese hacking group identified as Salt Typhoon reportedly infiltrated American telecommunications networks earlier this year. According to Microsoft’s cybersecurity team, this breach allowed unauthorized access to conversations involving individuals such as President-elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
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