Chinese hackers breached email accounts of top U.S. diplomats
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with China's Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 19, 2023. (Photo by Leah MILLIS / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LEAH MILLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
China-linked hackers breached the email account of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, as part of a recent targeted intelligence-gathering campaign, NBC News has confirmed.
The hackers also accessed the email account of Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, who recently travelled with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China, said NBC, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
CNBC reached out to China's Foreign Ministry for comment but has yet to hear back.
The beach was limited to the diplomats' unclassified email accounts, NBC said adding that Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo's email account was also accessed in the breach, as previously reported.
The news, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, further fuels the fallout for the U.S. of the alleged Chinese hack first revealed last week.
Source: CNBC
