China's hackers attack US Treasury to steal data on sanctions department

Chinese hackers who launched a cyberattack on the US Treasury Department targeted an important department of the agency that deals with sanctions against countries and groups of individuals imposed by the US government.

Source: Washington Post, citing US officials.

According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the main target of the cyberattack on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) was Chinese organizations that the US government may consider imposing financial sanctions on.

Officials added that the hack also affected the Treasury Department's Office of Financial Research.

Current and former officials note that even unclassified documents can be very useful to a competitor like China, as it can help hackers understand how the US develops sanctions policy and who is considered as potential targets.

A Treasury Department spokesman declined to comment.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 02/01/2025