Treasury Confirms Significant Cybersecurity Incident Involving Unauthorized Access to Unclassified Documents

US Treasury says China stole documents in ‘major’ cyberattack

The United States Department of the Treasury has been victimized by a significant cybersecurity incident, where hackers backed by the Chinese government allegedly breached their systems. In a recent letter to senior U.S. House lawmakers, the Treasury confirmed that sensitive documents were stolen following a major cyberattack.

According to reports, the breach occurred on December 8 when an unknown entity gained access to certain employee workstations and unclassified documents maintained by those users. The Treasury’s spokesperson, Michael Gwin, stated that the hackers’ actions did not result in any loss of classified information or financial data.

It is worth noting that the Treasury has bolstered its cyber defense over the past four years, which suggests a growing concern regarding national security and cybersecurity threats. The department pledged to continue working with both public and private sector partners to protect the financial system from malicious actors like those suspected in this incident.

This development comes amid ongoing tensions between the United States and China regarding cybersecurity. Recently, China-backed hackers known as Salt Tycoon were linked to cyberattacks targeting U.S. phone companies and internet giants, including AT&T and Verizon.

Source: techcrunch.com