Mon Dec 30 23:00:00 UTC 2024: ## China-Linked Hackers Accessed US Treasury Department Systems
**Washington, D.C.** – The Biden administration revealed on Monday that a state-sponsored Chinese actor successfully breached the US Treasury Department’s systems, accessing employee workstations and unclassified documents. The intrusion, discovered on December 8th by third-party software provider BeyondTrust, involved the theft of a security key granting remote access.
The Treasury Department, in a letter to lawmakers, confirmed the breach and attributed it to a Chinese Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor. While the department stated that the compromised service has been taken offline and there’s no evidence of ongoing access, the incident is considered a major cybersecurity event. The FBI and other agencies are involved in assessing the full impact of the breach. A forthcoming report to Congress will provide further details.
This incident follows recent revelations of extensive Chinese penetration into US telecommunications systems, impacting officials’ communications. Separately, a Chinese hacking group dubbed “Salt Typhoon,” linked to China’s Ministry of State Security, was found to have accessed the networks of major US telecommunication companies, including AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen. This breach compromised sensitive information, including a list of phone numbers the Justice Department had wiretapped.
In response to these escalating concerns, the Commerce Department recently banned further US operations of China Telecom. While Chinese officials consistently deny government involvement in hacking, the latest incidents raise serious questions about the vulnerability of US infrastructure and the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures. The Treasury Department affirmed its commitment to working with both the private and public sectors to improve defenses against future attacks.
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