US ambassador to China hacked in latest cyber operation: report

Chinese-based hackers breached into the email of Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China, in an attack tied to the recent hack that targeted federal agencies, including the State and Commerce departments, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of State for East Asia, was another target of the cyber espionage campaign, people familiar with the matter told the Journal. 

“For security reasons, we will not be sharing additional information on the nature and scope of this cybersecurity incident at this time,” a State Department spokesman told the Journal.

The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment. 

The news follows a Microsoft report released earlier this month that uncovered that Chinese hackers gained access to email accounts of 25 organizations, including federal agencies, in an attempt to collect intelligence from the U.S.

The hackers, known as Storm-0558, are “focused on espionage” and gathering intelligence by gaining access to email systems, the tech giant said.