Chinese hackers breached the US Treasury office that administers economic sanctions, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Chinese government hackers breached the U.S. Treasury office that administers economic sanctions, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, identifying the targets of a cyberattack that the Treasury revealed earlier this week.
Citing unnamed US officials, the Washington Post said the hackers compromised the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Office of Financial Investigation and also attacked the office of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
The department revealed earlier this week in a letter to lawmakers that hackers stole unclassified documents in a “major incident.” It did not specify which users or departments were affected.
When asked about the newspaper's report, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said the “irrational” US claim had “no 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 report on specific targets.
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the newspaper's report.
The Washington Post cited its sources as saying that a primary area of interest for the Chinese government would be Chinese entities that the US government may be considering designating for financial sanctions.
The Treasury letter earlier this week said hackers compromised third-party cybersecurity service provider BeyondTrust.
Chinese companies, individuals and entities have been a frequent target of US sanctions, which Washington has used as a key tool in its foreign policy towards Beijing.
The United States views China as 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 revenues and access to foreign supplies to fuel its war. in Ukraine.