Chinese Hackers Breach US Treasury Department

Chinese hackers linked to the government successfully breached the U.S. Treasury Department, accessing several workstations and unclassified documents via a compromised security key from third-party provider BeyondTrust. The breach was characterized as a 'major cybersecurity incident' and was reported to Congress on December 8, following alerts from BeyondTrust. The Treasury Department stated that it has taken the compromised service offline and currently sees no evidence that hackers maintain access to its systems or information. The incident highlights ongoing concerns regarding Chinese state-sponsored cyber espionage, coinciding with revelations about a separate espionage campaign named 'Salt Typhoon' impacting U.S. telecommunications. Treasury officials are collaborating with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI to assess the breach's full impact. The department has emphasized its commitment to enhancing cyber defenses amidst increasing threats from foreign adversaries.