Hackers target Office of Foreign Assets Control, which implements sanctions on countries and individuals
The US Treasury Department's sanctions office was breached by Chinese government hackers, according to a report published Wednesday.
Citing US officials, The Washington Post reported that the hackers targeted the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which implements sanctions on countries and individuals, as well as the Office of the Treasury Secretary.
The anonymous officials told the Post that the targeting indicates "Beijing's determination to acquire intelligence on its most significant rival in the global competition for power and influence.”
According to the Post, current and former officials said a key area of interest for the Chinese government would be Chinese entities that Washington is considering designating for financial sanctions.
- 'Major cybersecurity incident'
The report came a day after The New York Times reported that a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group infiltrated the US Treasury Department, gaining unauthorized access to government workstations and unclassified documents.
The breach, described as a "major cybersecurity incident" by the Treasury Department, was discovered on Dec. 8 when BeyondTrust, a third-party software provider, alerted the agency, said the Times.
"Based on available indicators, the incident has been attributed to a China state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor," the department said in a letter to lawmakers.
The hackers reportedly used a security key to gain remote access to certain systems.
According to media reports, Treasury officials further confirmed that the compromised service had been taken offline, adding "there is no evidence that the Chinese state actor still has access to Treasury information."
While China denies involvement in such attacks, the latest breach comes after revelations of other Chinese-linked cyber incidents, including a breach targeting US telecom networks.
China also emphasized efforts to collaborate with the US on cybersecurity issues.
