Chinese hackers broke into the system of the US Committee on Foreign Investments, CNN reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Officials are assessing the impact of the stolen information on national security.
The hack was part of a broader hacker attack on the IT system of the Ministry of Finance, which is under the control of the Committee on Foreign Investments (CFIUS). In December, the office gained greater powers to control the sale of real estate near US military bases.
“Officials are analyzing individual documents accessed by hackers and conducting an analysis to assess the overall impact of the stolen information on national security,” a representative of the US administration told CNN.
“Hackers also attacked the Ministry of Finance's sanctions office, which last week imposed restrictions on a Chinese company for its alleged role in cyberattacks,” CNN reported.
US Treasury DepartmentEPA/JIM LO SCALZO
What did the hackers steal?
While there is no evidence that classified information was accessed, there are concerns that the hackers collected data that could prove useful to Chinese intelligence services.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Finance did not answer questions about the hacker attack on CFIUS and only shared the ministry's previous statement on this matter.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, denied that China were involved in hacking operations
Main photo source: EPA/JIM LO SCALZO