US Treasury breach - Chinese hackers breach Janet Yellen's computer, accessed about 50 files

Hackers backed by the Chinese government accessed US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's computer and files, Bloomberg News has reported . The breach, discovered in December, also impacted the computers of Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Acting Under Secretary Brad Smith.

The hackers accessed fewer than 50 files on Yellen's computer, focusing on the Treasury's work on sanctions, intelligence, and international affairs. While the hackers accessed unclassified files on more than 400 computers and 3,000 files on personal devices, they did not penetrate classified systems or email. They also accessed information related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which reviews the security implications of foreign investments.

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The breach happened through a vulnerability in software from BeyondTrust Corp., a third-party cybersecurity provider. BeyondTrust notified the Treasury on December 8th. The Treasury then contacted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI, and other intelligence agencies. Treasury staff briefed congressional aides and lawmakers about the incident this week.

Investigators identified the hackers as a Chinese state-sponsored group. They reportedly prioritized document collection and worked outside of business hours to avoid detection.

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The hack, what the Treasury called a "major incident", happened in December when Chinese state-sponsored hackers breached the department's computer security guardrails by compromising third-party cybersecurity service provider BeyondTrust, according to Treasury officials.

A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, Mao Ning, previously stated: "China has always opposed all forms of hacker attacks."