US officials backpedal on claims that government agencies were hacked by Chinese, now say they were targets
The corrected release says several agencies were only targeted, narrowing confirmed breaches after the original version described them as victims.
- On Friday, the Justice Department corrected its statement, clarifying that the Senate, Federal Reserve, and NASA were "among the targets of QTFY" rather than confirmed victims of Chinese hackers.
- Officials initially characterized these organizations as victims during Wednesday's internet domain seizure operation. The Department noted the edit ensures accuracy with the government's affidavit allegations.
- An FBI affidavit alleges Chinese actors have targeted federal networks since at least 2018. Investigations confirmed intrusions at DOE National Laboratories and NIH, though attempts against NASA were unsuccessful due to software patching.
- Distinguishing between targeted and compromised agencies narrows the scope of confirmed breaches, though specific impacts remain unclear. Messages seeking clarification from the FBI, CISA, and the Department were not immediately returned on Friday.
- In response to Wednesday's announcement, a spokesperson for The Chinese Embassy claimed the United States uses cybersecurity to "smear or discredit China." The embassy added China opposes "overstretching the concept of national security" to impose discriminatory restrictions.
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10 Articles
US officials revise claims that government agencies were hacked by Chinese, now say they were targets
US officials have corrected earlier claims that several government agencies were hacked by a Chinese state-sponsored group, clarifying that the agencies were targeted but not necessarily compromised. An FBI affidavit says the group targeted networks including NASA, the Federal Reserve and Senate, while confirmed intrusions affected other US government entities and contractors.
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US officials backpedal on claims that government agencies were hacked by Chinese, now say they were targets
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US officials backpedal on claims that China hacked government agencies, now say they were targeted
In a freshly edited statement, the Justice Department said Friday that the US Senate, the Federal Reserve, NASA, and others were "among the targets of QTFY," a Chinese spy platform.
U.S. authorities have retreated from allegations that some U.S. government agencies would have been the subject of a virtual attack from China, in what would have been a spying initiative. Now, in a revised release, the Justice Department points out that the agencies were among the targets of hackers.
They now claim that such organizations were among the targets of hackers.
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