US House panel opens probe into suspected Chinese hacking of Commerce, State emails

The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee announced on Wednesday that it has launched an investigation into recent email system hacks at the Commerce and State departments that China may have been involved in.

The committee’s chair, Representative James Comer, and the leaders of two subcommittees requested staff briefings from Secretaries of State Antony Blinken and the Department of Commerce by August 9.

“We are also concerned that this attack on federal agencies, including the email account of a senior U.S. government official such as yourself, reflects a new level of skill and sophistication from China’s hackers,” the lawmakers wrote Raimondo.

According to a person knowledgeable on the situation, Raimondo was one of several senior U.S. officials whose emails were compromised early this year by a group Microsoft (MSFT.O) claimed was based in China.

The departments of State and Commerce did not promptly respond to messages requesting comment.

The revelation that senior State and Commerce department officials’ emails had been accessed by Chinese hackers last month sparked controversy amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington on a range of issues, from trade to Taiwan.

It’s unclear how extensive the hack was, which impacted at least 20 additional organisations. Last month, The Wall Street Journal claimed that the hackers had gained access to Daniel Kritenbrink’s email account, the U.S. ambassador to China.

The Journal reported that hundreds of thousands of emails were stolen total.

Raimondo said last month she still plans to visit China later this year despite the reported Chinese hacking. “We’re planning the trip now, which doesn’t mean that we excuse any kind of hacking or infringement on our security,” Raimondo told CNBC.

In a previous statement, the Chinese embassy in Washington noted that pinpointing the origin of cyberattacks was difficult and cautioned against making “groundless speculations and allegations.”

(With agency inputs)