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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 the workstations of government employees.
After a full year of hacking all government agencies, Chinese experts say it’s time to get serious about preventing rival espionage.
“The latest intrusion should come as no surprise. For too long, the CCP has not paid the true price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into our homeland and networks,” Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the House China Select Committee, told Fox News Digital.
“It’s time for the Congress and the upcoming ones Trump administration impose ever-increasing costs to deter the CCP.”
It is still not clear what exactly the hackers were looking for. The Ministry of Finance keeps sensitive data on global financial systems, as well as assessments of China’s troubled economy. It also enforces sanctions on Chinese companies, as well as those they help Russia at war against Ukraine.
“Although the Treasury Department says that the Chinese only obtained unclassified documents, we must remember that the hacking of the Treasury Department is causing chills not only in the US, but also around the world. Countries rely on the dollar, can you rely on the stability? of the US financial markets? ” said Chinese expert Gordon Chang.
“For too long, the CCP has not paid a true price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into our homeland and networks,” Rep. John Moolenaar told Fox News Digital (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The service provider notified the Ministry of Finance of the breach on December 8, and all affected systems were taken offline. China called accusations that it was behind the act “baseless” and said it “consistently opposes all forms of hacking”.
Despite China’s denials, the Ministry of Finance insisted that a Chinese state-sponsored actor was behind the attack. Chang suggested that Xi may have intended to be caught to send a message to the world.
“We can’t really rule out the possibility that the Chinese wanted to get caught because they really wanted to create uncertainty around the world. They wanted to show the world that the United States is not safe – their networks are not good, Chinese control at will.”
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Just a few weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump appeared to be trying to smooth over relations with China s an invitation to President Xi Jinping for his inauguration. But a recent hacking attempt suggests such efforts may be futile, according to Chang.
“American presidents have been trying to make preventive concessions to China for decades. They have not resulted in benefits for us. And the reason is that the Chinese do not reciprocate,” he said.
Earlier this year, Chinese intelligence intercepted the communications of Commerce Minister Gina Raimondo, just as she was deciding on new export controls for semiconductors and other key technology. The same hacker group also targeted officials State Department and members of Congress.
The service provider notified the Ministry of Finance of the breach on December 8 and all affected systems were taken offline (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
China, led by President Xi Jinping, has denied involvement in the hacking (Florence Lo-Pool/Getty Images)
And the hacking of the Treasury Department comes as the Biden administration grapples with one of the largest Chinese attacks on American infrastructure in history, dubbed Typhoon Salt.
A Chinese intelligence group infiltrated nine US telecommunications giants and gained access to the private text messages and phone calls of Americans, including senior government officials and prominent political figures.
The Salt Typhoon hackers also gained access to an exhaustive list of phone numbers tapped by the Justice Department to track espionage suspects, giving them insight into which Chinese spies the US caught and which missed.
The flurry of cyberattacks has fueled frustration — and raised questions — about cybersecurity and why US adversaries can regularly penetrate US 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,” Chang said. .
last week, incoming national security adviser, Rep. Mike WaltzR-Fla., suggested that the U.S. should play not only on defense, but also on offense.
Rep. Mike Waltz, Republican of Florida, speaks during a press conference following a House briefing on Afghanistan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We have to stop trying to just play better and better defense,” he told Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business. “We have to start attacking.”
“We need to start imposing consequences on those who steal our technology, spy on us, and now with a program called Volt Typhoon, plant cyber time bombs on our critical infrastructure, like our water, our grid and our ports,” Waltz said.
“America can no longer afford cyber defense alone. 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 percent tariff on US imports from China. Last month, the Biden administration issued the toughest crackdown yet on China’s semiconductor industry, aimed at hampering its ability to develop artificial intelligence for modern military use.
