Chinese Hackers Allegedly Breach US Ambassador’s Emails
Chinese hackers with alleged ties to Beijing have reportedly breached the email account of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, as well as the email account of Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia. The cyber-espionage operation is believed to have compromised hundreds of thousands of individual U.S. government emails, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Earlier this month, Microsoft disclosed a wider spying operation, and Kritenbrink was asked in a congressional hearing whether he could rule out the possibility of his or his staff’s emails being targeted in the Microsoft hack. Although Kritenbrink declined to comment on the ongoing FBI investigation, he stated that he would not rule out the possibility.
Burns and Kritenbrink are now among the few publicly named victims of the espionage campaign, which prompted a warning from the top U.S. diplomat to his Chinese counterpart. In response to the allegations, the spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington stated that China opposes and combats cyber attacks and theft, emphasizing the need for a professional and responsible approach to identifying the source of cyber attacks.
Last week, Microsoft revealed that Chinese hackers misappropriated one of its digital keys and exploited a code flaw to gain unauthorized access to emails from U.S. government agencies and other clients. The breach has raised concerns about Microsoft’s security practices, with officials and lawmakers urging the company to provide its highest level of digital auditing, or logging, to all customers free of charge.
While the intrusion reportedly impacted unclassified systems, the White House National Security Council immediately contacted Microsoft to identify the source and vulnerability in their cloud service. The State Department detected anomalous activity and took swift action to secure their systems.
In response to criticism, Microsoft stated that it appreciates the feedback and is taking it into account. The company did not provide further comment on the WSJ report.
As the investigation into the cyber espionage operation continues, it underscores the growing threat of foreign hackers and the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures. The breach serves as a reminder of the importance of robust security practices to safeguard sensitive information and protect against future cyber attacks.
