The Washington Post reported Wednesday that hackers from the Chinese government had breached the U.S. Treasury Department, which enforces economic sanctions, and identified the targets of a cyberattack the Treasury Department disclosed earlier this week.
A Treasury Department letter earlier this week said hackers infiltrated BeyondTrust, a third-party cybersecurity service provider, and gained access to multiple employees’ workstations and non-classified documents.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed US officials, said hackers breached the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Office of Financial Investigation, and also targeted Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s office.
The department said in a letter to lawmakers earlier this week that hackers stole classified documents in a “major incident.” It did not say which users or departments were affected.
The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the matter, said Beijing’s biggest area of concern would be Chinese companies that the U.S. government might consider targeting with financial sanctions.
Asked about the paper’s report, Chinese Embassy Spokesperson in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said the US’s “unreasonable” claims had “no basis in fact” and amounted to a “slanderous attack” against the Chinese government.
The statement said China was “combatting all forms of cyberattacks,” but did not directly address the Washington Post’s reporting on specific targets. The Ministry of Finance did not respond to requests for comment on the newspaper report.
Chinese companies, individuals, and entities are often subject to U.S. sanctions, which the U.S. government has used as an important tool in its foreign policy toward China.
The hack comes amid reports that Chinese government-backed attackers also breached three of the largest U.S. telecommunications companies earlier this month. The breach, dubbed “Salt Typhoon,” gave cybercriminals access to the phones and text messages of members of Congress. Lawmakers across the political spectrum condemned the hack.
The U.S. considers China its biggest foreign policy challenge, with Yellen telling Reuters last month that the U.S. is seeking to cut Russia’s oil revenues and access to foreign supplies in order to foment a war in Ukraine. He said he would not rule out sanctions against Chinese banks.
Reuters
