Chinese hackers, identified as Storm-0558, have reportedly compromised the email accounts of Nicholas Burns, the U.S. Ambassador to China, and Daniel Kritenbrink, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, in a recent cyber-espionage operation.
The attack was linked to the broader hacking campaign targeting US federal agencies, including the State and Commerce Departments, according to the Wall Street Journal. These breaches are believed to be part of an effort to gather intelligence from the U.S.
A State Department spokesperson, citing security considerations, declined to provide additional details regarding the extent and nature of this cybersecurity incident at this time. Further comments from the department are being sought by The Hill.
This latest incident follows a report by Microsoft earlier this month, which revealed that the same group of Chinese hackers had infiltrated the email accounts of 25 organizations, including multiple federal agencies. The hackers, Microsoft noted, are focused on espionage and intelligence gathering through email system breaches.