Chinese government hackers breached the US Department of the Treasury office that administers economic sanctions, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, identifying targets of a cyberattack disclosed earlier this week.
Hackers compromised the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Office of Financial Research, and targeted the office of US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, the Washington Post said, citing unnamed US officials.
The department earlier this week disclosed in a letter to lawmakers that hackers stole unclassified documents in a “major incident.” It did not specify which users or departments were affected.
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Asked about the paper’s report, Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu (劉鵬宇) said the “irrational” US claim was “without any factual basis” and represented “smear attacks” against Beijing.
The statement said China “combats all forms of cyberattacks” and did not directly address the Washington Post’s reporting on specific targets.
The Department of the Treasury did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newspaper report.
The Washington Post quoted its sources as saying that a top area of interest for the Chinese government would be Chinese entities that the US government might be considering designating for financial sanctions.
The treasury letter earlier this week said hackers compromised third-party cybersecurity service provider BeyondTrust.
Chinese firms, individuals and entities have been a frequent target for US sanctions, which Washington has used as a key tool in its foreign policy toward Beijing.
The US considers China its biggest foreign policy challenge, and last month Yellen told Reuters that Washington would not rule out sanctions on Chinese banks, as it seeks to reduce Russia’s oil revenue and access to foreign supplies to fuel its war in Ukraine.
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