China’s Cyberwarfare Continues: US State Department Targeted in Latest Attack

In a statement issued a few days ago, the US State Department reported having been the target of a cyberattack, less than a month after a similar incident in which a group of ‘Russian hackers’ infiltrated various government agencies. According to the technology company Microsoft, this recent attack is linked to hackers connected to the Chinese state.

Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, stated that suspicious activity was detected in June and Microsoft was immediately notified. Although the US government has not publicly attributed the attack to any particular actor, they have said they have no reason to doubt Microsoft’s allegations.

According to Microsoft, Chinese hackers have been secretly accessing email accounts of about 25 organizations since May, including US government accounts. This latest incident adds to a series of worrying cyberattacks that have affected government institutions in recent years.

In addition to the State Department, the Commerce Department also confirmed that its email system has been compromised, after receiving a notification from Microsoft. A Commerce Department spokesperson stated that they are taking immediate steps to address the situation and are closely monitoring their systems for any additional activity.

It should be noted that on June 15, a group of Russian hackers known as ‘CL0P’ or ‘TA505’ accessed several United States government agencies, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). On that occasion, there was no indication that they were acting in coordination with the Russian government.

These incidents highlight growing concerns about cybersecurity and the need to strengthen digital defenses to protect government systems and safeguard sensitive information. Authorities continue to investigate the attacks and take steps to mitigate risks and prevent future intrusions.