The French Press Agency reported that the U.S. Treasury Department was subjected to a wide-ranging cyberattack believed to have targeted sensitive systems within the department. Accusations point to China as a potential culprit behind this breach.

Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday in a message to Congress obtained by the French Press Agency that it experienced a cyberattack supported by China in early December, but it did not lead to the exposure of confidential data.

According to the message, the attack affected several workstations and unclassified documents in the Treasury Department through a breach of security software developed by a private company called “BeyondTrust,” and the attack was executed “according to available indicators by a financially supported entity from China.”

The Treasury Department contacted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency after “BeyondTrust” alerted it to the breach, and it continues to work with law enforcement agencies to determine its impact.

A spokesperson for the department stated, “The compromised BeyondTrust service has been taken offline, and there is no evidence that the entity responsible for the threat has continued to access the systems or information of the Treasury Department.”

The department did not provide further details regarding the impact of the cyber intrusion, but it stated that additional information will be provided in a supplementary report later.

Details of the attack:

• This attack marks one of the largest cyber challenges the department has faced recently.

• The attack targeted vital systems linked to the management of financial and economic data in the United States.

Reactions:

• The Treasury Department confirmed that it is investigating the incident in cooperation with specialized security agencies to ensure that no sensitive information is leaked.

• The U.S. government described the attack as a threat to national security, noting that preliminary investigations link the attack to hacker groups supported by China.

Rising tensions:

• This attack comes amidst increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing, particularly in the fields of technology and cyber espionage.

• No official comment has yet been issued by the Chinese government regarding these accusations.

Upcoming actions:

• Washington is expected to take steps to enhance its cybersecurity, and additional sanctions may be imposed on Chinese entities if involvement is proven.

• The investigation continues to determine the extent of the damages caused by the attack and the data that was breached.