The US Department of the Treasury has become the victim of a hack in which several employees' computers were “infected.” Who is behind the attack is not 100% clear, but the renowned news outlet The Washington Post claims that the hackers were supported by the Chinese government.
The hack only became apparent in early December after the software company BeyondTrust informed the US department of the incident. Ultimately, the hackers managed to obtain a security key that allowed them to bypass all strict security protocols. The “damage” would be limited, as government officials indicated that there was no evidence that the hacker(s) were able to extract any information from the Treasury Department.
Despite the lack of absolute clarity or certainty about where the hacker(s) came from, the US government nevertheless assumes a high likelihood that the hack was carried out at least with support from, or even on behalf of, China. This is something the Chinese embassy in Washington reacted to very fiercely, dismissing all accusations as “a smear campaign without any basis in truth.”
And yet. Why do we so often hear or read that hackers are probably “the Chinese”? What are they after, or what are they trying to achieve with this?