Republican lawmakers call for briefing on treasury cyber breach

Two Republican lawmakers have called for a full briefing from the US Treasury Department following a cyber breach allegedly carried out by a Chinese state-sponsored hacker.

Senator Tim Scott and Representative French Hill sent a letter to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on December 31, demanding answers about the breach and requesting a detailed briefing by January 10.

The lawmakers are seeking information on what data was accessed, how the breach occurred, and what measures have been taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“This breach of federal government information is extremely concerning,” Scott and Hill stated, expressing concern about the nature of the breach.

The letter highlighted the sensitive nature of the information the Treasury holds, including tax records, business ownership details, and suspicious activity reports.

The lawmakers emphasised the importance of protecting this information from potential threats posed by foreign adversaries.

The breach, which occurred on December 2, involved unauthorised access to employee workstations, with hackers gaining access to unclassified documents.

The Treasury Department confirmed in a December 30 letter that the breach was carried out by a Chinese state-backed advanced persistent threat (APT) actor.

In response, the Treasury Department said it would provide a further report on the incident within 30 days, as required by the Federal Information Security Modernisation Act.

The Chinese government has denied involvement in the attack, calling the accusations “smear attacks” without any factual basis.