The US Treasury has reported a “major security breach”, which they think was the work of Chinese state-sponsored hackers. Earlier this month, these hackers reportedly managed to infiltrate the Treasury’s network, gaining access to several employee workstations and unclassified documents. This makes it the second major cyber-security breach in the US allegedly done by China just this December.
Here’s what’s going on.
How did the US Treasury allegedly get hacked?
The treasury learned about the problem on December 8 through a third-party cybersecurity provider, BeyondTrust.
Following this, they promptly contacted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, and third-party forensic investigators to assess the extent of the damage.
According to a letter from the Treasury department to lawmakers, hackers obtained a key that allowed them to override certain security measures and remotely access various systems.
Aditi Hardikar, an assistant Treasury secretary, confirmed that there is currently no indication that the hackers still have access to any sensitive information.
A spokesperson for the Treasury stated, “At this time there is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury information.” They also reassured the public that the compromised BeyondTrust service has been taken offline.
The department is expected to provide further details in a supplemental report within 30 days. A spokesperson emphasised, “Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems and the data it holds,” adding that they have significantly strengthened their cyber defenses over the past four years.
Context of US cybersecurity threats
This incident comes on the heels of another major hacking event known as Salt Typhoon, where Chinese state-sponsored actors breached three large US telecommunications companies earlier this month. During that breach, they reportedly accessed lawmakers’ phone calls and text messages, prompting widespread condemnation from officials across the political spectrum.
In response to these allegations, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington denied any involvement in the hack, stating that Beijing “firmly opposes the US’s smear attacks against China without any factual basis”.
The US Treasury says it is taking steps to ensure its systems are secure and will work closely with law enforcement and cybersecurity to investigate the full scope of the hack.
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