China Hacked Treasury Dept. In 'Major Incident,' U.S. Says

The U.S. Treasury Department reported a significant cybersecurity breach attributed to a state-sponsored actor from China, which involved unauthorized access to government employees' workstations and unclassified documents. The breach was discovered on December 8, when the Treasury was alerted by BeyondTrust, a third-party software service provider, about a compromised security key that allowed remote access to certain systems. The Treasury has since collaborated with the FBI and other intelligence agencies to assess the breach's impact and has taken measures to secure its systems. Although the exact timing of the breach remains unclear, the department assured that there is no current evidence of ongoing access by the Chinese actor. This incident follows previous reports of Chinese hacking activities targeting U.S. telecommunications, raising concerns about the security of American systems. Chinese officials have consistently denied involvement in hacking, despite ongoing dialogues with the U.S. on cybersecurity cooperation. The Treasury plans to provide further details in a report to Congress.

- A state-sponsored Chinese actor hacked the U.S. Treasury Department, accessing workstations and documents.

- The breach was linked to a compromised security key from a third-party service provider.

- The Treasury Department is working with the FBI and intelligence agencies to evaluate the breach's impact.

- There is no evidence that the Chinese actor still has access to Treasury information.

- The incident highlights ongoing cybersecurity vulnerabilities and tensions between the U.S. and China.