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China was behind a “major” hack of the Treasury Department, the Biden administration said Monday, gaining access to unclassified documents and government employees’ workstations.
After a year full of hacking in all government institutions, Chinese experts say it’s time to get serious about preventing competitive espionage.
“The latest invasion should not come as a surprise. For too long, the CCP has not paid a real price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into our homeland and networks,” Rep. John Mulenaar, R-Michigan, chairman of the House China Select Committee, told Fox News Digital.
“The time has come for the Congress and the future The Trump administration introduce cost escalation to contain the CCP’.
It is still unclear what exactly the hackers were looking for. The Treasury maintains confidential data on global financial systems, as well as assessments of China’s ailing economy. It also imposes sanctions on Chinese companies as well as those who help Russia is at war against Ukraine.
“Despite the fact that the Treasury Department says that the Chinese obtained only unclassified documents, we must remember that the hacking of the Treasury Department is causing a shock not only in the United States, but also around the world. Countries rely on the dollar, can you count on stability? American financial markets?” said Chinese expert Gordon Chang.
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“For too long, the CCP has paid no real price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into our homeland and networks,” John Mulenaar told Fox News Digital. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Treasury was notified by the service provider of the breach on December 8 and all affected systems were shut down. China called the accusation that it was behind the act “baseless” and said it “consistently opposes all forms of hacking.”
Despite China’s denial, the Ministry of Finance insisted that a Chinese state actor was behind the attack. Chiang suggested that Xi may have intended to be caught to send a message to the world.
“We cannot actually rule out the possibility that the Chinese wanted to be caught because they wanted to create uncertainty around the world. They wanted to show the world that the United States is not safe – their networks are not very good, the Chinese control them at will.”
Just a few weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump appeared to be trying to smooth over relations with China an invitation to President Xi Jinping for his inauguration. But a recent hacking attempt suggests that such efforts may be futile, according to Chang.
“American presidents have been trying to make preemptive concessions to China for decades. They did us no good. And the reason is that the Chinese do not reciprocate,” he said.
Earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Gina Raymond’s correspondence was intercepted by Chinese intelligence as she was deciding on new export controls for semiconductors and other key technologies. The same hacker group also targeted officials State Department and Members of Congress.
The Treasury was notified by the service provider of the breach on December 8 and all affected systems were shut down (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
China, led by President Xi Jinping, denies involvement in the hack (Florence Law – Pool/Getty Images)
And the Treasury Department hack comes just as the Biden administration is grappling with one of China’s largest attacks on American infrastructure in history, dubbed the Salt Typhoon.
A Chinese intelligence group infiltrated nine US telecommunications giants and gained access to private text messages and phone calls of Americans, including senior government officials and prominent political figures.
The Salt Typhoon hackers also gained access to a comprehensive list of phone numbers the Justice Department tapped to monitor people suspected of espionage, giving them an idea of which Chinese spies the U.S. caught and which missed.
The onslaught of cyberattacks has raised frustrations — and raised questions — about cybersecurity and why America’s adversaries are able to routinely infiltrate U.S. government systems.
“The American people should be angry at the Chinese for hacking us, but they should be angry at our political leaders because our political leaders know what’s going on. They have the means to protect us and they chose not to do that,” Chang said.
last week, new national security adviser Mike WaltzFlorida State, suggested that the US needs to not only play defense, but attack as well.
Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Florida, speaks during a press conference after the House of Representatives briefing on Afghanistan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Stephanie Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We have to stop trying to play better and better defensively,” he told Maria Bartirama of Fox Business. “We need to start going on the offensive.”
“We need to start applying consequences to those who steal our technology, spy on us, and now, with a program called Volt Typhoon, place cyber time bombs on our critical infrastructure like our water, our network and our ports.” Waltz. said.
“America can no longer afford to simply defend itself in the cyber realm. We must go on the offensive and impose COSTS on those who steal our technology and attack our infrastructure,” he added on X.
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Trump has proposed a 60% tariff on US imports from China. Last month, the Biden administration unveiled its toughest crackdown yet on China’s semiconductor industry, aimed at hampering its ability to develop artificial intelligence for modern military purposes.
