Chinese state-sponsored hackers gain unauthorized access to US Treasury

(MENAFN) A Chinese state-sponsored hacking group reportedly gained unauthorized access to the U.S. Treasury Department, infiltrating government workstations and obtaining unclassified documents, according to a media report released on Monday. The breach, which was described as a "major cybersecurity incident" by the Treasury Department, was detected on December 8. The alert came from BeyondTrust, a third-party software provider that notified the department of the potential compromise, as reported by The New York Times.

The Treasury Department later confirmed that the incident had been attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor based on available indicators. The hackers reportedly employed a security key to remotely access certain systems within the department. This type of cyberattack is often used by sophisticated groups to maintain long-term access to targeted networks for espionage purposes.

In response to the breach, Treasury officials assured that the compromised service had been taken offline, and there was no evidence that the Chinese actors still had access to sensitive Treasury information. Despite this, the incident raised concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. government systems to foreign cyber threats.

While China has denied involvement in cyberattacks, this latest breach follows other incidents linked to Chinese hackers, including a significant intrusion targeting U.S. telecom networks. The Chinese government has emphasized its commitment to cybersecurity cooperation with the U.S., although these recent breaches continue to strain relations.

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