It has been confirmed that Chinese hackers successfully infiltrated the U.S. State Department’s email system, pilfering a staggering 60,000 emails from ten separate accounts.
This audacious act of cyber espionage was confirmed by a staffer for GOP Senator Eric Schmitt, who attended a recent private briefing on Capitol Hill.
The victims of this cyber onslaught were reportedly working on sensitive matters related to Europe, East Asia, and the Pacific. The stolen data included diplomatic deliberations and travel itineraries, potentially compromising national security.
The timing of these hacks is particularly concerning as they occurred just before Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s scheduled trip to China.
The New York Times reported that the Commerce Department was similarly targeted by these hackers, who are believed to be affiliated with China’s military or spy services.
Despite the mounting evidence pointing towards Beijing, the Biden administration has yet to formally accuse the Chinese communist regime of orchestrating these attacks.
The Chinese hackers, identified as Storm-0558, initially compromised a Microsoft engineer’s corporate account to gain access to a debugging environment. This allowed them to sign security tokens and infiltrate the accounts.
However, Storm-0558 is not the only Beijing-backed group conducting espionage against the United States. Another state-supported hacker group, Volt Typhoon, has been undermining critical infrastructure in Guam and other American regions, affecting various sectors including communications, manufacturing, transportation, government, and maritime.
Despite the ongoing cyber threats, Microsoft continues to expand its presence in China. Even though the tech giant acknowledges state-supported Chinese actors are exploiting its products to steal foreign intellectual property and penetrate vital infrastructure, it has not curtailed its business activities in the People’s Republic.
In fact, Microsoft sells over 70 products in China and employs thousands of software engineers there, many of whom work on cutting-edge innovations.
The Chinese regime’s aggression against the U.S. has been escalating in recent years. From covering up the spread of COVID-19 to operating illegal police operations stateside, China’s actions have put America on the back foot. This latest act of cyber espionage is yet another example of China’s brazen contempt for the U.S.
Senators from both parties have expressed their outrage over this incident. Senator Schmitt stated, “We cannot allow any foreign nation to easily gain access to sensitive government information.”
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia called the incident “alarming.” It’s clear that the time has come to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable and take decisive action to protect American national security.
In conclusion, while the State Department’s cyber defenses may have improved since Hillary Clinton’s tenure, it’s evident that they are far from impenetrable. The American people deserve answers, and more importantly, a government that can safeguard their sensitive information from foreign adversaries.