The Biden administration announced Monday that China was behind a “massive” hack of the Treasury Department, gaining access to classified documents and government employees’ workstations.
After a year plagued by hacks across all government agencies, Chinese experts say it’s time to get serious about thwarting hostile espionage.
“The recent intrusions are not surprising. For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has paid no real price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into its homeland and networks,” said House China Select Committee Chairman. said Congressman John Moolener (R-Mich.). the commission told FOX News Digital.
“The time has come for Congress and the incoming Trump administration to impose increasing costs to deter the Chinese Communist Party.”
It’s not yet clear what exactly the hackers were looking for. The Treasury Department holds confidential data about the world’s financial system and estimates about China’s struggling economy. It has also imposed sanctions on Chinese companies and companies supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine.
“Although the Treasury Department says the Chinese only obtained unclassified documents, we must remember that the Treasury hack has not only shocked the United States, but the rest of the world. “Can you trust the stability of America’s financial markets?” ” said Gordon Chan, a China expert.
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“For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has paid no real price for its increasingly aggressive incursions into our homeland and networks,” Congressman John Moolener told Fox News Digital. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Treasury Department was notified of the breach by the service provider on December 8, and all affected systems were taken offline. China said accusations that it was behind the act were “baseless” and said it “consistently opposes all forms of hacking.”
Despite China’s denials, the Treasury Department claimed that Chinese state sponsors were behind the attack. Zhang suggested that Xi may have intended to be captured to send a message to the world.
“We cannot exclude the possibility that the Chinese actually wanted to be arrested because they wanted to create uncertainty around the world. They wanted to show the world that the United States is not safe. Their network is not good and China has no control over them.” ”
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Just a few weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump appeared to be trying to smooth relations with China by inviting President Xi Jinping to his inauguration. But recent hacking attempts suggest such efforts may be futile, Chan said.
“For decades, U.S. presidents have tried to make pre-emptive concessions to China that have never benefited us because China hasn’t reciprocated them,” he said. said.
Earlier this year, communications were intercepted by Chinese intelligence agencies as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was making decisions on new export controls on semiconductors and other key technologies. The same hacking group also targeted State Department employees and members of Congress.
The Treasury Department was notified of the breach by the service provider on Dec. 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 Treasury hack comes just as the Biden administration is grappling with one of the largest Chinese attacks on U.S. infrastructure in history, dubbed the “Salt Typhoon.”
Chinese intelligence agencies infiltrated nine major U.S. telecommunications companies and accessed the private text messages and phone calls of Americans, including senior government officials and prominent politicians.
The Salt Typhoon hackers also accessed an exhaustive list of phone numbers that the Justice Department was wiretapping to monitor suspected spies, and learned which Chinese spies the U.S. caught and missed. I was able to do that.
The onslaught of cyberattacks has sparked frustration and raised questions about cybersecurity and why America’s adversaries are able to routinely penetrate U.S. government systems.
“The American people should be angry that China is hacking us, but they should also be angry at our political leaders, because they know what’s going on. They have the means to protect us, but they choose not to.” Chan said.
Last week, the incoming national security adviser, Rep. Mike Walz (R-Florida), suggested that the United States needs to not only defend, but also attack against attacks.
Republican Rep. Mike Walz of Florida speaks during a press conference following a full House meeting on Afghanistan on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Stephanie Reynolds/Bloomberg, Getty via) Image)
“We just have to stop trying to play better defense,” he told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “We need to start attacking.”
“To those who have stolen our technology, spied on us, and are now planting cyber time bombs on our water, power grid, ports and other critical infrastructure with a program called Bolt Typhoon. We need to start punishing people,” Walz said. Said.
“America can no longer afford to defend with cyber. We must turn to the offensive and impose costs on those who steal our technology and attack our infrastructure,” he added of X.
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President Trump has proposed imposing a 60% tariff on US imports from China. Last month, the Biden administration launched its toughest crackdown yet on China’s semiconductor industry, aiming to thwart China’s ability to develop AI for modern military applications.
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