In one last masterstroke of incompetence on her way out the door, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has had her computer hacked by China. We don't really care about the integrity of the U.S. economy, we just hope to God there's no nudes to leak.
Chinese hackers who breached the Treasury Department were focused on "sanctions, international affairs and intelligence", according to a new report from Bloomberg that detailed the breach.
The breach reached "more than 400 laptop and desktop computers", the report says.
Hackers accessed employee credentials and over 3,000 files from unclassified personal computers, including policy documents, travel records, organizational charts, and sensitive law enforcement data, the report revealed. While they likely stole some material, classified and email systems were not breached.
The Bloomberg report said the hackers also accessed files related to investigations by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which assesses national security risks of certain real estate and foreign investments.
A report to Congress reveals that Chinese state-sponsored hackers, identified as Silk Typhoon or UNC5221, breached the Treasury Department through a contractor's network, prioritizing document theft and operating stealthily.
While no malware or long-term intelligence gathering was detected, sensitive systems remained uncompromised. Treasury reported the breach promptly and sought assistance from federal agencies. Treasury and FBI representatives declined to comment.
China has denied allegations of state-sponsored cyberattacks, dismissing claims of involvement in the Treasury hack as “groundless.”
Hackers accessed 419 computers between late September and mid-November, targeting offices dealing with foreign assets, international affairs, and intelligence, as well as senior officials and personal financial records.
A damage assessment is ongoing, and Treasury staff are set to brief the Senate Banking Committee. Treasury disconnected BeyondTrust, the compromised contractor, and is considering alternatives, though no immediate failures have been identified.
Reuters reported the hackers even breached U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's computer and computers of two of Yellen's lieutenants, Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Acting Under Secretary Brad Smith.
"The hackers accessed fewer than 50 files on Yellen's machine," Reuters concluded.
