U.S. Government Agencies Targeted in Cyber Attack by Chinese State-Linked Hackers
Chinese state-linked hackers have reportedly gained unauthorized access to email accounts of approximately 25 organizations, including two U.S. government agencies, according to U.S. officials. The breach was detected early, preventing further compromises. Among the affected agencies are the U.S. State and Commerce departments, with reports of compromised email accounts of Department of State officials and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. While the breach is significant, it is not as extensive as the SolarWinds compromise attributed to Russian cyberspies.
Microsoft, the company that detected the breach, revealed that the hacking group known as Storm-0558 utilized counterfeit digital authentication tokens to access email accounts through the Outlook service. The activity started in May and primarily targeted organizations in Western Europe. The U.S. government responded firmly, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning China that any actions targeting the U.S. government, companies, or citizens would face appropriate consequences.
Microsoft promptly alerted the affected organizations about the compromise in its Office 365 system and took immediate action to address the situation. In response, the Chinese embassy in London denied the allegations, referring to the U.S. government as “the world’s biggest hacking empire and global cyber thief.” The incident serves as a reminder of ongoing concerns regarding cybersecurity and the susceptibility of organizations to state-sponsored hacking attempts. Efforts to enhance cybersecurity measures continue to be a priority for the U.S. government and private companies to safeguard sensitive information and thwart future breaches.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment