Microsoft (MSFT) has accused Chinese hackers of infiltrating the e-mail accounts of U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Commerce.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo was among the individuals whose email account was compromised by Chinese hackers, according to Microsoft.
The Commerce Department said in a written statement: “We are monitoring our systems and will respond promptly should any further activity be detected.”
Several media outlets are also reporting that the U.S. State Department has been targeted by the coordinated attack from China.
China’s government has responded by saying that Microsoft’s accusations are a “disinformation” campaign, and that the U.S. government is “the world’s biggest hacking empire…”
Microsoft has identified the China-based hacking group as “Storm-0558,” and says it accessed U.S. government e-mails by forging digital authentication tokens required by the system.
The tech giant said its investigations found that the breaches began in the middle of May and that it has now ended the attack.
In May, Microsoft and various spy agencies said Chinese hackers had used malware to attack critical infrastructure at the American military base in Guam. Experts said the Guam incident was one of the largest known cyberattacks against the U.S. to date.
Microsoft’s stock has increased 33% over the last 12 months to trade at $337.20 U.S. per share.
