Chinese hackers accessed Yellen's computer in US Treasury breach

A broader breach of the Treasury Department by Chinese state-sponsored hackers was reported by Bloomberg News on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the computers of two senior officials, Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Acting Under Secretary Brad Smith, were also compromised. Hackers accessed fewer than 50 files on Secretary Janet Yellen's computer, Bloomberg stated.

The Treasury Department has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.

The breach, described by Treasury officials as a "major incident," occurred in December when Chinese state-sponsored hackers exploited vulnerabilities in third-party cybersecurity provider BeyondTrust to compromise the department's systems.

"China has always opposed all forms of hacker attacks," Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said at the time.