The Biden administration revealed that a Chinese intelligence agency successfully infiltrated the Treasury Department.
The breach was first detected on Dec. 8, after the software firm BeyondTrust alerted Treasury officials that hackers had seized a security key allowing remote access.
Mediaite reports:
Senior figures privy to intelligence about the infiltration suggest it was strictly designed for information-gathering rather than for sabotaging critical infrastructure like power grids or water treatment systems.
“Based on available indicators, the incident has been attributed to a China state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor,” read a Treasury letter sent to Capitol Hill. “In accordance with Treasury policy, intrusions attributable to an APT are considered a major cybersecurity incident.”
In a statement, a Treasury spokesman said that the department took threats against its systems and the data they hold seriously and that it would continue to work with the private sector and government agencies to protect the financial system from hacking.
Top Chinese officials closely monitor the Treasury Department because it handles critical information about global financial systems and insights into China’s economy. The department also enforces sanctions on Chinese companies, including those recently linked to supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The breach highlighted significant vulnerabilities in the fragmented U.S. telecommunications infrastructure. Hackers allegedly exploited these gaps to gain access to both text messages and phone conversations, raising serious concerns about the security of sensitive communications.
Investigators revealed that the targets included commercial, unencrypted phone lines used by President-elect Donald J. Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and top national security officials. The targeted lines were not equipped with the necessary encryption to protect against sophisticated attacks.
Despite the access hackers gained, it is still unclear what specific conversations, if any, they were able to monitor.
According to The New York Times, Chinese officials rejected the claim outright.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called it “groundless.” She added that China was opposed to using cyberattacks and “even more opposed to the spread of false information against China for political purposes.”
READ NEXT: Republican Senator’s Son Sentenced Over Fatal Car Crash
Why can’t we just tell these “actors” that any cyber security incursions will be seen as an act of economic war and that repercussions (cyber attacks, sanctions, tarrifs, etc) will be given in return?