China Behind Major Hack of Treasury Department, Gaining Access to Unclassified Documents and Government Employees’ Workstations
The Biden administration has accused China of being behind a major hack of the Treasury Department, which gained access to unclassified documents and the workstations of government employees. The hack is the latest in a series of cyberattacks on government agencies, and experts are calling for the US to take a tougher stance against China’s aggressive intrusions.
The Treasury Department was notified of the breach on December 8 and took all affected systems offline. China has denied involvement in the hack, but the Treasury has insisted that a Chinese state-sponsored actor was behind the attack.
The hack is significant because it has given China access to sensitive information about global financial systems, as well as estimates about China’s ailing economy. The Treasury Department also carries out sanctions on Chinese companies and those aiding Russia in the war on Ukraine.
China expert Gordon Chang said that the hack is a major concern because it has sent shudders across the world, and countries rely on the stability of the American financial markets. Chang also suggested that China may have intended to get caught to send a message to the world.
The hack comes just as the Biden administration is grappling with one of China’s biggest attacks on American infrastructure in history, dubbed Salt Typhoon. A Chinese intelligence group infiltrated nine US telecommunications giants and gained access to private text messages and phone calls of Americans, including senior government officials and prominent political figures.
The cyberattacks have prompted frustration and raised questions about cybersecurity and why America’s adversaries are able to penetrate US government systems with regularity. Representative Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida, suggested that the US needs to not only play defense but go on offense to the attacks.
“We have to stop trying to just play better and better defense,” Waltz said. “We need to start going on offense. We need to start imposing consequences for those that are stealing our technology, spying on us, and now with a program called Volt Typhoon, is putting cyber time bombs on our critical infrastructure, like our water, our grid and our ports.”
The US has proposed a 60% tariff on US imports from China, and the Biden administration has issued its most stringent crackdown yet on China’s semiconductor industry to hinder its ability to develop AI for modern military uses.