Chinese hackers target US Treasury focusing on entities facing potential sanctions

Chinese government hackers have breached the US Treasury department responsible for overseeing economic sanctions. 

The hackers infiltrated the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Office of Financial Research, and even targeted the office of US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

In a letter to lawmakers earlier this week, the Treasury confirmed that unclassified documents had been stolen in what it called a "major incident," though it did not specify which users or departments were impacted. Responding to the report, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, dismissed the US claim as "irrational," calling it "baseless" and an attempt to "smear" Beijing.

The statement emphasized that China "opposes all forms of cyberattacks". The Treasury Department has yet to respond to requests for comment on the newspaper's findings. A primary focus of the Chinese government's cyber activities might be US considerations regarding Chinese entities potentially facing financial sanctions. 

Earlier this week, the Treasury’s letter revealed that hackers had compromised the services of third-party cybersecurity provider BeyondTrust. Chinese individuals, firms, and entities are often targeted by US sanctions, a central element of Washington's foreign policy toward Beijing. 

The US views China as its largest foreign policy challenge, and last month, Yellen said that Washington would not rule out sanctions on Chinese banks as part of efforts to curb Russia's oil revenue and limit access to foreign supplies, aimed at weakening Russia’s ability to sustain its war in Ukraine.

By Naila Huseynova