Report: China-Backed Hackers Breached US Ambassador's Email

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Facts

  • A Wall Street Journal report alleges that Beijing-linked hackers have accessed the email account of the US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, as part of a cyber campaign revealed last week that compromised hundreds of thousands of US government emails.1
  • CNN reports that the hackers also got access to the accounts of the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo; however, the details and scope of the cyberattacks remain under investigation.2
  • Last week, Microsoft accused Chinese hackers of exploiting a flaw in the company's cloud systems to gain access to US government email accounts. Microsoft and the US Dept. of State have declined to comment on the recent report, with the State Dept. saying its investigation is ongoing.3
  • The software company says the group Storm-0558, a "China-based actor," is responsible. Kirtenbrink accompanied Sec. of State Antony Blinken on his recent trip to China, while Raimondo has been involved with developing sanctions against Chinese companies.4
  • While neither Blinken's nor his advisors' accounts had been breached, according to the report, the hackers may have gained insight into preparations for meetings between US and Chinese officials.5
  • A spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Washington has said that the PRC rejects the "groundless" accusations and that they stand opposed to cyberattacks "in all forms."3

Sources: 1Wall Street Journal, 2CNN, 3Reuters, 4Forbes, and 5Guardian.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Politico. China is the most pernicious cyber threat the world faces, and these massive breaches haven't even reached a tenth of what they may be capable of. US cyberinfrastructure, publicly and privately, is woefully unprepared for a full-blown cyberwar with China, as their hackers could potentially penetrate every aspect of American life. The US needs to get smart on cybersecurity to defend itself against a growing and aggressive threat.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Xinhua. It's the specialty of the US to accuse others of what they are most guilty of. Based on unconfirmed media reports, the US government is trying to stoke animosity towards China with these new cyberattack charges. It's the US, not China, that is the most vicious and unrelenting cybercriminal on the world stage. The US is not only responsible for countless attacks on China and other countries, but America's intelligence apparatus has used every tool at its disposal to topple foreign governments. The global community must stand together against America's dangerous and hypocritical cyber policy.