The hack of US Treasury Department systems by agents working with the Russian government was aimed at senior officials in the Department and resulted in a “serious breach” of Department systems, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said in a statement.
Politico reports that Wyden, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, stated that the cyberattack was a “serious breach, beginning in July, the full depth of which isn’t known.”
Lame duck president Donald Trump has cast doubt on the Russian source of the attack, saying that it could have originated in China. It continues Trump’s habit of defending Russia even when significant technical evidence and intelligence exists pointing to Kremlin’s involvement.
Wyden and the Republican chair of the Finance Committee, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, asked for a briefing from Treasury and IRS officials to inform the committee on the seriousness of the attack.
“Treasury still does not know all of the actions taken by hackers, or precisely what information was stolen,” Wyden said.