Chinese spies have hacked the emails of US Representative Don Bacon, a member of the Republican Party. This means they gained access to his personal and campaign messages. The hacking lasted for about a month, ending on June 16.
The hack was due to a weakness in Microsoft software. This is similar to a hacking incident that Microsoft revealed last month. In that incident, a lot of emails from important US officials were stolen. This included emails from Gina Raimondo, the US Commerce Secretary, and Nicholas Burns, the US Ambassador to China.
This hacking also targeted email accounts in the US House of Representatives. It seems to be part of the same bigger hacking campaign.Bacon said on social media that there were other victims of this cyber attack. He also mentioned that the Chinese government is involved in cyber espionage.
The Chinese Embassy has called this a “smear.” They say it’s not true and that the US has done things to hurt China’s relationship. For example, they mentioned arms sales to Taiwan, an island that China claims as its own.
Both the FBI and Microsoft, the company that makes the software, did not say anything about this.
Bacon’s spokesperson said that the FBI told Bacon that Chinese hackers stole information from his emails. This information included details about his personal bank accounts, his political plans, and his campaign fundraising.
Bacon is a former Air Force general and is now a congressman. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. This group helps make decisions about how much money the US military will get each year.
Bacon’s spokesperson thinks he was targeted because he supports Taiwan publicly and has spoken out against China’s treatment of the Uyghur people.
