US officials confirm China hacked State Department emails before Blinken trip.

Chinese Hackers Target State Department Emails Ahead of Secretary Blinken’s Visit to Beijing

Chinese hackers made an audacious attempt to gather intelligence from the State Department by targeting individual emails just before Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing in June, according to officials. The breach of the department’s systems was confirmed by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during a press briefing on Wednesday. However, no further details or attribution of the hacks to China were provided.

Unnamed U.S. officials, however, informed the New York Times that the hacks were most likely connected to China’s military or spy services. They emphasized that the hackers focused solely on individual email accounts and did not attempt to extract large amounts of data. Classified email or cloud systems were not penetrated, and officials downplayed the threat of any critical information being stolen.

Microsoft Discovers the Hacking Attempt

Microsoft revealed the attempt to breach the email accounts on Tuesday as a result of their investigation. The company found that close to 25 organizations, including the State Department and other government agencies, had been targeted by hackers. The State Department became aware of the hack on June 16 and immediately informed Microsoft, which alerted the company to the ongoing hacking campaign. Secretary Blinken departed for China that same evening.

Blinken’s visit held significant importance for U.S.-China relations, as it marked the first visit to China by a U.S. secretary of state in five years. Originally planned for February, the trip was postponed after the U.S. shot down a Chinese balloon suspected of spying on nuclear military sites. The goal of the June meeting was to establish communication and improve relationships between the two nations.

Despite Blinken hailing the talks as an “important start” to close the book on the balloon incident, Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for “appeasing” China through this visit.

While a senior State Department official stated that the Microsoft hack did not initially appear to be directly related to Blinken’s trip, the investigation into what material, if any, was obtained by the hackers is still in its early stages.

Microsoft’s Findings and Chinese Denial

Microsoft determined that the hacks began on May 15 and went undetected until June 16. The company also revealed that the hackers seemed to target specific accounts rather than launching a broad intrusion and no longer have access. However, the number of compromised accounts by Chinese hackers was not disclosed.

In response to the accusations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed any government involvement as “disinformation.”

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