Chinese hackers, who successfully breached Microsoft’s email system earlier this year, have managed to pilfer tens of thousands of emails from U.S. State Department accounts, as relayed by a Senate staffer to Reuters on Wednesday.
This Senate staffer, who participated in a briefing led by State Department IT officials earlier the same day, disclosed that these officials had informed lawmakers that approximately 60,000 emails had been stolen from 10 distinct State Department accounts.
Although the specific individuals affected were not disclosed, it was revealed that nearly all of them were involved with matters related to East Asia and the Pacific. The staffer, employed by Senator Eric Schmitt, chose to share the briefing details under the condition of anonymity.