Chinese hackers suspected in breach of powerful DC law firm CNN Politics
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Suspected Chinese hackers have broken into the email accounts of attorneys and advisers at a powerful Washington DC law firm in an apparent intelligencegathering operation the firm Wiley Rein told clients this week in a memo reviewed by CNN
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The hackers responsible have been known to target information related to trade Taiwan and US government agencies involved in setting tariffs and reviewing foreign investment said the notice from the firm
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âWe believe based on the evidence reviewed to date that a group that may be affiliated with the Chinese government accessed messages in the Microsoft 365 accounts of certain Wiley personnel for intelligence gathering purposesâ the memo said
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The breach comes after the Trump administration escalated Americaâs trade war with China this spring by slapping unprecedented tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States The titfortat tariffs set off a scramble in both governments to understand each otherâs positions
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With clients that span the Fortune 500 and a team of top trade attorneys Wiley Rein is a powerful player in helping US companies and the government navigate the trade war with China The firm describes itself as âwired into Washingtonâ and says it provides âunmatched insights into the evolving priorities of agencies regulators and lawmakersâ
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Wiley Rein told clients it is still working to determine what information the hackers accessed âWe also notified law enforcement and are coordinating with themâ
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CNN has requested comment from Wiley Rein and the FBI which typically investigates highprofile hacks with national security implications Googleowned security firm Mandiant is remediating the hack the Wiley Rein memo said CNN has requested comment from Mandiant
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Liu Pengyu spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC said in a statement to CNN âChina firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks and cyber crime â a position that is consistent and clear At the same time we also firmly oppose smearing others without solid evidenceâ
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Itâs only the latest suspected Chinese intrusion into a US organization that handles sensitives trade or investment matters CNN reported in January that Chinese hackers had breached the US government office that reviews foreign investments for national security risks
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Foreign investment reviews play an important role in the relationship between the worldâs two biggest economies On Friday the Trump administration announced that it had blocked a Hong Kongbased firmâs acquisition of Jupiter Systems a supplier of audiovisual equipment The statement cited the âpotential compromise of Jupiterâs products used in military and critical infrastructure environmentsâ
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For years across Republican and Democratic administrations US officials have tried to come to grips with Chinaâs formidable cyber capabilities The FBI has said that China has a bigger hacking program than all other foreign governments combined
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The hack of Wiley Rein could add to one of numerous open investigations that the FBI has into Beijinglinked cyberespionage
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The FBI is still dealing with the sweeping Chinese compromise of US telecom providers that targeted the phone communications of senior US leaders including thenpresidential candidate Trump and became public last year ATT Verizon and other big communications firms were breached
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âWe donât know if weâre done identifying victims or if there will be moreâ Brett Leatherman the assistant director of the FBIâs Cyber Division said in an interview last month with CNN referring to the telecom hacking campaign But the FBI does believe the telecom firms have contained the hackers after many months of investigation he said
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âBeijingâs cyber doctrine is more than accessâ Leatherman added âItâs about building longterm leverageâ
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This story has been updated with additional details
pp 2025 Cable News Network A Warner Bros Discovery Company All Rights Reserved CNN Sans â Â 2016 Cable News Networkp
Suspected Chinese hackers have broken into the email accounts of attorneys and advisers at a powerful Washington DC law firm in an apparent intelligencegathering operation the firm Wiley Rein told clients this week in a memo reviewed by CNN
pp
The hackers responsible have been known to target information related to trade Taiwan and US government agencies involved in setting tariffs and reviewing foreign investment said the notice from the firm
pp
âWe believe based on the evidence reviewed to date that a group that may be affiliated with the Chinese government accessed messages in the Microsoft 365 accounts of certain Wiley personnel for intelligence gathering purposesâ the memo said
pp
The breach comes after the Trump administration escalated Americaâs trade war with China this spring by slapping unprecedented tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States The titfortat tariffs set off a scramble in both governments to understand each otherâs positions
pp
With clients that span the Fortune 500 and a team of top trade attorneys Wiley Rein is a powerful player in helping US companies and the government navigate the trade war with China The firm describes itself as âwired into Washingtonâ and says it provides âunmatched insights into the evolving priorities of agencies regulators and lawmakersâ
pp
Wiley Rein told clients it is still working to determine what information the hackers accessed âWe also notified law enforcement and are coordinating with themâ
pp
CNN has requested comment from Wiley Rein and the FBI which typically investigates highprofile hacks with national security implications Googleowned security firm Mandiant is remediating the hack the Wiley Rein memo said CNN has requested comment from Mandiant
pp
Liu Pengyu spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC said in a statement to CNN âChina firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks and cyber crime â a position that is consistent and clear At the same time we also firmly oppose smearing others without solid evidenceâ
pp
Itâs only the latest suspected Chinese intrusion into a US organization that handles sensitives trade or investment matters CNN reported in January that Chinese hackers had breached the US government office that reviews foreign investments for national security risks
pp
Foreign investment reviews play an important role in the relationship between the worldâs two biggest economies On Friday the Trump administration announced that it had blocked a Hong Kongbased firmâs acquisition of Jupiter Systems a supplier of audiovisual equipment The statement cited the âpotential compromise of Jupiterâs products used in military and critical infrastructure environmentsâ
pp
For years across Republican and Democratic administrations US officials have tried to come to grips with Chinaâs formidable cyber capabilities The FBI has said that China has a bigger hacking program than all other foreign governments combined
pp
The hack of Wiley Rein could add to one of numerous open investigations that the FBI has into Beijinglinked cyberespionage
pp
The FBI is still dealing with the sweeping Chinese compromise of US telecom providers that targeted the phone communications of senior US leaders including thenpresidential candidate Trump and became public last year ATT Verizon and other big communications firms were breached
pp
âWe donât know if weâre done identifying victims or if there will be moreâ Brett Leatherman the assistant director of the FBIâs Cyber Division said in an interview last month with CNN referring to the telecom hacking campaign But the FBI does believe the telecom firms have contained the hackers after many months of investigation he said
pp
âBeijingâs cyber doctrine is more than accessâ Leatherman added âItâs about building longterm leverageâ
pp
This story has been updated with additional details
pp 2025 Cable News Network A Warner Bros Discovery Company All Rights Reserved CNN Sans â Â 2016 Cable News Networkp
