Chinese Hackers Breach U.S. Treasury Department Divisions
World
Hackers linked to the Chinese government have attacked the computer systems of U.S. Treasury Department divisions responsible for managing economic and trade sanctions. The Washington Post reported this on January 1.
According to the report, the hackers breached servers of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Office of Financial Research (OFR). Additionally, they attempted to target the office of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
This week, the U.S. Treasury Department informed Congress in a letter that the hackers, during a "major incident," stole non-classified documents and also breached the cybersecurity services provider BeyondTrust.
As noted by The Washington Post, the attacks may have been aimed at Chinese organizations potentially subject to U.S. financial sanctions. In December, Janet Yellen stated that the U.S. was considering imposing sanctions on Chinese banks to reduce Russia's oil revenues and restrict access to foreign supplies essential for its war efforts in Ukraine.
The U.S. Treasury Department declined to comment on The Washington Post’s report. Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu called the claims “irrational,” “baseless,” and described them as “slanderous attacks” against Beijing. He emphasized that China opposes all forms of cyberattacks.
This incident is likely to further escalate tensions between the U.S. and China over cybersecurity issues.
This week, the U.S. Treasury Department informed Congress in a letter that the hackers, during a "major incident," stole non-classified documents and also breached the cybersecurity services provider BeyondTrust.
As noted by The Washington Post, the attacks may have been aimed at Chinese organizations potentially subject to U.S. financial sanctions. In December, Janet Yellen stated that the U.S. was considering imposing sanctions on Chinese banks to reduce Russia's oil revenues and restrict access to foreign supplies essential for its war efforts in Ukraine.
The U.S. Treasury Department declined to comment on The Washington Post’s report. Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu called the claims “irrational,” “baseless,” and described them as “slanderous attacks” against Beijing. He emphasized that China opposes all forms of cyberattacks.
This incident is likely to further escalate tensions between the U.S. and China over cybersecurity issues.
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