(MENAFN) A letter obtained by Reuters on Monday revealed that Chinese state-sponsored hackers breached security at U.S. Treasury Department computers earlier this month, stealing documents. The hackers gained access to unclassified documents by infiltrating a third-party cybersecurity service provider, a breach described as a "major incident."

Upon being alerted by cybersecurity firm Beyond Trust on December 8, the Treasury Department began working with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI to assess the damage. Treasury officials did not immediately respond to requests for further details on the breach. Similarly, the FBI and CISA directed inquiries to the Treasury Department.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington denied involvement, stating that Beijing "strongly opposes U.S. defamation attacks on China without factual evidence." Beyond Trust, the Georgia-based cybersecurity company, has yet to comment but confirmed a "security incident" affecting a "limited number" of its remote support customers. The company stated it is investigating the matter.

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