The U.S. authorities have confirmed that a Chinese state-sponsored hacker successfully infiltrated its Treasury Department, accessing government employees’ workstations and unclassified documents.
The breach was flagged on December 8 by BeyondTrust, a third-party software service provider.
According to the Treasury Department, the hackers exploited a security key, which granted them remote access to specific workstations and stored documents.
“This incident has been attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actor,” a letter from the Treasury Department to lawmakers read.
“In line with Treasury policy, such intrusions are classified as major cybersecurity incidents,” they stated.
The Biden-led administration confirmed the attack on Monday, noting that federal agencies, including the FBI and intelligence services, were actively assessing the scope of the breach and its potential damage.
It said authorities have deactivated the compromised service while investigation remains ongoing to unravel the mysteries behind the cyber attack.