U.S. Treasury Department Hit by Major Cybersecurity Breach 🚨

The U.S. Treasury Department revealed it suffered a significant cybersecurity breach attributed to hackers allegedly backed by the Chinese government. 🛡️

Details of the Breach

In a letter to Congress, the department explained that the breach was orchestrated through an external software service provider, BeyondTrust Inc. Hackers exploited a cloud-based support service’s security key to gain unauthorized access.

📂 What was compromised?

• Workstations within the Treasury Department.
• Some non-classified documents, according to Bloomberg reports.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Washington dismissed the accusations as "baseless," urging the U.S. to stop spreading "misinformation."

Broader Implications 🌏

This attack comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, despite recent diplomatic overtures, including a meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping.

The White House has also flagged a separate cyber espionage campaign targeting U.S. telecom companies, likely conducted by the same group of state-backed hackers dubbed "Salt Tycoon." Their attacks aimed to intercept private communications from top U.S. officials and even presidential candidates.

U.S. Response and Ongoing Investigations

The Treasury Department is collaborating with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to assess the breach. As of December 30, no evidence suggests the hackers still have access to Treasury systems.

A Growing Threat

This incident is the latest in a series of Chinese-linked cyberattacks targeting U.S. government entities, telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon, and major internet firms.