Massive Cyber Attack on US State Department Compromises Sensitive Information

In a significant security breach earlier this summer, tens of thousands of messages were stolen from the US State Department in a major cyber attack, according to a Senate staffer who spoke with Politico. The sophisticated hack is reported to have targeted high-profile figures within the US government, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns.

Details of the breach were revealed during a closed-door briefing provided by State Department officials on Wednesday. An unnamed staffer for Republican Senator Eric Schmitt shared insights from the briefing, explaining that the cyber attack had primarily affected ten government email accounts associated with individuals working on “Indo-Pacific diplomatic efforts.”

Among the stolen data, the staffer highlighted the compromise of sensitive information such as travel itineraries and diplomatic deliberations. Additionally, the breach potentially exposed ten Social Security numbers to unauthorized access.

The cyber attack first came to light in July when Microsoft reported it, attributing the breach to a “China-based threat actor” allegedly supported by the Chinese government. Microsoft noted in a blog post that the hackers appeared to have “espionage objectives” but stated their conclusions were held with only “moderate confidence.”

Reports suggest that a total of 25 entities were targeted in the June hack, including not only the State Department but also various other government agencies. The breach may have involved hundreds of thousands of documents, with around 60,000 documents from the State Department alone, as per the Senate staffer.

Two high-ranking officials who appear to have been directly targeted in the hack are Ambassador Nicholas Burns and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. While the State Department has not formally accused China of being responsible for the breach, Raimondo publicly asserted Chinese involvement in recent statements.

“They did hack me, which was unappreciated to say the least,” Raimondo told NBC News earlier this month. During her last visit to Beijing, she raised the issue with her Chinese counterparts.

Raimondo emphasized that the United States is engaged in “fierce competition with China at every level” but underscored that “conflict is in no one’s interest.” Her sentiments echoed those of other US officials regarding the nation’s policy on China. President Joe Biden has consistently referred to Beijing as America’s top “competitor” and has taken steps to strengthen the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region as part of its strategy to address challenges posed by China.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that Washington would “take appropriate action” in response to any state-sponsored cyberattacks, although specific measures were not outlined. However, Beijing has dismissed such allegations as “disinformation,” consistently refuting similar hacking claims in the past.