A recent cyberattack on the US Treasury Department has been linked to a “China state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat actor,” according to The New York Times. This attack, characterized as “a major cybersecurity incident,” involved unauthorized access to documents and workstations.
The Treasury Department learned of the breach on December 8 when BeyondTrust, a third-party software company, informed officials that a security key used for technical support had been used to access workstations and unclassified documents. The Department has since been working closely with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI to investigate the extent of the breach.
It is unclear how long the files and workstations were accessible or what specific information was accessed during the cyberattack. Engadget has reached out to the Treasury Department for more information and will update as more details become available.
This incident comes on the heels of another concerning breach involving US telecom carriers in October 2024, where a Chinese hacking group known as “Salt Typhoon” gained access to unencrypted SMS messages and call logs of politicians and government officials for an extended period before being discovered.
To ensure the security of sensitive information, it is essential for government agencies and organizations to remain vigilant in protecting against cyber threats and implementing robust cybersecurity measures.
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