U.S. Treasury says computers hacked by a Chinese 'threat actor'
NBCJan 01
US Treasury Accuses China of Hacking Its Workstations
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Above: A view from the US Dept. of the Treasury building in Washington DC on Dec. 30, 2024. Image copyright: Celal Gunes/Contributor/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Facts
The US Dept. of the Treasury alleged on Monday that Chinese state-sponsored hackers gained unauthorized access to employee workstations and unclassified documents earlier this month through a compromised third-party software service provider called BeyondTrust.
BeyondTrust first detected suspicious activity on Dec. 2, confirmed the breach on Dec. 5, and notified the Treasury Department on Dec. 8 that hackers had obtained a security key that allowed remote access to Treasury systems.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
The breach proves Chinese state-sponsored actors have deliberately targeted sensitive US government systems through sophisticated third-party compromise techniques. However, Washington will not tolerate efforts by the Chinese government to intimidate Americans who serve the public or steal from American institutions.
Pro-China narrative
These accusations are baseless as China opposes all forms of hacking and cyber-attacks. The US must stop using cyber security to smear China's reputation or spread disinformation without evidence for political purposes. Politicizing cybersecurity issues doesn't solve the real problem.
