7 months ago
China-linked hackers breach US congressional email systems
Some hackers from China are said to have broken into the email systems of people who work for important groups in the US Congress.
This is part of a bigger plan called 'Salt Typhoon' where they try to spy on important political and government talks.
A newspaper called the Financial Times talked to people who know about this, but no one from the US or China has said this is true publicly.
We couldn't check if this is really happening either.
The hackers were found in December, but it's not clear if they got into the personal emails of the lawmakers.
China-linked hackers breached email systems used by US congressional staff.
The intrusions are part of a cyber-espionage operation called 'Salt Typhoon'.
Affected systems were used by staff supporting influential committees in the US House of Representatives.
The Financial Times reported the incident, citing people familiar with the matter.
It remains unclear whether the hackers accessed the personal email accounts of lawmakers.
- Who
- China-linked hackers
- What
- Breached email systems used by US congressional staff
- Where
- US House of Representatives
- When
- Discovered in December
- Why
- Part of a broader cyber-espionage campaign attributed to China’s Ministry of State Security
US Officials
Chinese Authorities
Confirmation of the Breach
US Officials
US officials have described the incident as a wide-ranging cyber-espionage operation.
Chinese Authorities
Neither US nor Chinese authorities have publicly confirmed the details of the alleged breaches.
Key facts
- Attackers
- China-linked hackers
- Target
- US congressional staff email systems
- Operation Name
- Salt Typhoon
- Affected Committees
- House China Committee, Foreign Affairs Committee, Intelligence Committee, and Armed Services Committee
- Source
- Financial Times report
- Discovery Date
- December
Timeline
Hackers pounced on unpatched SharePoint flaw.
Chinese state-backed hackers breached US congressional emails via same gap.
Larger espionage plot exposed, per Financial Times.
Quotes
China
The government of the People's Republic of China
“It was against 'politically motivated disinformation'”
indianexpress.com
Sources
China against ‘political disinformation’ about US government email breach
Chinese Hackers Breach Emails Of US House Of Representatives: Report
‘Salt Typhoon’: China hacks emails of US congressional staff in major cyber-espionage case
China-linked hackers breached email systems used by US congressional staff, report says
