Explosive Revelation: Chinese Hackers Strike at the Heart of Senior State Department Officials, Unearthing a Shocking 60,000 Stolen Emails in May

According to a Senate staffer briefed on the matter, the Chinese hackers responsible for the May breach of various US government agencies have reportedly stolen around 60,000 emails from senior officials at the State Department. This includes sensitive information about officials' travel plans, specifically their itineraries. The briefing provided to senators and their staffers reveals further evidence of the Chinese operatives meticulously combing through the email accounts of high-ranking US diplomats specializing in Pacific diplomacy. This happened just prior to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's important visit to China in June.

Hackers targeted the email accounts of nine State Department officials specializing in East Asia and the Pacific, as well as another official focused on European affairs, as shared by a staffer from Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt's office in Missouri. The staffer, who requested anonymity, was present at a briefing where senior State Department IT officials informed the Senate about the hacking incident on Wednesday.

In addition, the hackers managed to retrieve a comprehensive list of all State Department email addresses, which could potentially aid them in future hacking endeavors aimed at the department.

During a press briefing on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that approximately 60,000 State Department emails had been accessed by hackers. Miller informed reporters that the State Department had discovered and reported the hack to Microsoft, revealing that it was an attack on Microsoft systems. Although the State Department has not officially assigned blame for the hack, Microsoft has implicated a hacking group based in China. Miller expressed trust in Microsoft's attribution, stating, "We have no reason to doubt their findings in this instance."

The Microsoft email software was exploited in a stealthy hacking campaign that originated from breaching a Microsoft engineer, according to the company. Experts have observed that these cyber intrusions highlight the advancements China has made in its cyber capabilities. As a result, US lawmakers and officials in the Biden administration are now examining the extent of the US government's reliance on Microsoft technology. In a previous report by CNN, it was revealed that the cyber-espionage campaign successfully breached the unclassified email accounts of US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of State for East Asia who accompanied Secretary of State Blinken during his visit to China in June.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who has been critical of the Chinese government, said he was also breached by the hackers.

The State Department declined to comment on the Senate briefing.

The Chinese government officials have countered the hacking allegations by accusing the US government of perpetrating cyberattacks against China. In a statement to CNN, Schmitt acknowledged the briefing but emphasized that his investigation into the hacks is still ongoing.

"We must strengthen our defenses against such cyberattacks and intrusions in the future. Additionally, it is crucial to critically assess the federal government's dependence on a single vendor as it may serve as a vulnerable point," Schmitt emphasized. CNN's Alex Marquardt and Michael Conte contributed to this report.