China denies hacking U.S. Treasury Department

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Tuesday denied that China was involved in an alleged cyberattack on the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Beijing opposed all forms of hacking, she said. Accusations that it was involved in the hacking attack were groundless, Mao insisted. China opposes hacking and the spread of disinformation for political purposes, she said.

What happened? The Treasury notified Congress on Monday that Chinese hackers gained access to department workstations and unclassified documents, according to reports by news outlets including the Associated Press and the Agence France Presse. The hackers broke into the department’s system via a third-party software service provider, the AP reported. The breach was reportedly being investigated as a major incident. WORLD reached out to the Treasury Department for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report in The Sift about a man who pleaded guilty earlier this month to running a Chinese secret police station in New York City.