China-Backed Hacker Hits Treasury Workstations

Unclassified documents on some computers were accessed, department says
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 30, 2024 5:29 PM CST
China-Backed Hacker Hits Treasury Workstations
The US Department of the Treasury building in Washington on Dec. 7.   (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Treasury Department told senators Monday that a hacker backed by China breached several workstations and unclassified documents. In a letter to Banking Committee leaders, an assistant secretary said the department was informed Dec. 8 by a third-party software service provider that a hacker had gotten access to a security key that can override certain protocols, reports CNN, which has seen the letter. The documents were on those workstations, Aditi Hardikar wrote.

In keeping with its policy, the department categorized the breach as a "major incident," per the Washington Post, because another nation was behind it. A spokesperson told CNN that the breached service has been taken offline. Several government agencies and outside investigators are working on the case, the department said. "There is no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury systems or information," the Treasury spokesperson said. (More hacking stories.)

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