The targeting of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as well as the Office of the Treasury Secretary reflects Beijing's determination to acquire intelligence on its most significant rival in the global competition for power and influence.
A top area of interest for the Chinese government would be Chinese entities that the U.S. government may be considering designating for financial sanctions.
The breach was conducted through the hack of a software contractor serving the Treasury Department - part of a troubling trend of government intrusions enabled by lax cybersecurity employed by some third-party vendors.
The full impact of the breach is still being assessed; documents accessed were unclassified, and there is no evidence the hacker still has access to Treasury systems.
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