State-sponsored Chinese hackers broke into U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s computer in December and accessed thousands of unclassified documents, anonymous sources told Bloomberg on Thursday.
The hackers also broke into the computers of two of Yellen’s top aides, Deputy Secretary of State Wally Adeyemo and Acting Deputy Secretary of State Brad Smith. report Said. The breach is the latest in a series of China-linked hacks targeting federal employees and agencies during President Joe Biden’s term.
The Treasury Department wrote that Yellen “expressed serious concerns about malicious cyber activity.” [People’s Republic of China] State Sponsored Actors and Their Impact on Bilateral Relations,” January 6 report statement After the Secretary held a virtual meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
Biden: “If we ever get into a war, a real firefight, with a great power, it’s going to happen as a result of a cyber breach.” pic.twitter.com/wsCvmMLU1N
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 27, 2021
Chinese hackers reportedly compromised Yellen’s account along with more than 400 other computers, gaining access to staff login credentials and more than 3,000 unclassified files on her personal devices. The newspaper said the operatives prioritized files related to sanctions, intelligence and international affairs ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
The Treasury Department alerted lawmakers to the first violation on Dec. 30. letterThe report said Chinese operatives had “access to certain unclassified documents.” (Related: Chinese hackers prey on major U.S. infrastructure on Biden’s watch)
“Threat actors gained access to keys used by vendors to secure cloud-based services used to remotely provide technical support to Treasury end users,” said Aditi Hardikar, assistant secretary of the Treasury. he writes. “By accessing the stolen keys, the attacker could disable the security of the service, remotely access the workstations of certain Treasury DO users, and access certain non-confidential documents controlled by those users. I was able to do that.”
The hackers were reportedly able to break into the computers by exploiting BeyondTrust, a third-party software company used by the Treasury Department. Hardiker said the service has since been taken “offline” and there is “no evidence that the attackers continue to access Treasury information.”
The state-sponsored breach was one of several during Biden’s tenure. A number of cyberattacks that escalated in early 2023 targeted telecommunications companies, public infrastructure, and multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of State and Commerce.
The U.S. Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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