Chinese Hackers Allegedly Gain Access To Files Of US Treasury Secretary

MOSCOW, Jan 16 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- Chinese hackers have allegedly gained access to more than 3,000 documents belonging to high-ranking US officials, including US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

On December 8, the US Treasury Department was informed by BeyondTrust, a third-party software service company, that a hacker had acquired a security key, enabling remote access to specific Treasury workstations and their documents, The New York Times reported.

Treasury and law enforcement officials told US lawmakers that Chinese hackers had accessed unclassified files between September 30 and November 18, 2024, Politico reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.

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They allegedly gained access to the documents belonging to Yellen, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, and Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury Brad Smith, the report said.

Some 419 US Treasury computers were reportedly hacked, but only unclassified files were affected. The hackers acted through a third-party vendor, BeyondTrust, used by the Treasury.

On January 3, the US Treasury Department announced that it had sanctioned a Chinese company, Integrity Technology Group (also known as Yongxin Zhicheng), for its alleged involvement in cyberattacks.

In late December, media reported that the US Treasury Department had complained to Congress about Chinese hacker attacks. China has dismissed the allegations and accused the US of spreading misinformation.

-BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI