US Government Emails Hacked by Malicious Chinese Actor

Hackers had access to information in the accounts for about a month, Microsoft reveals

A Chinese soldier stands guard at the main entrance door of the Bayi building in Beijing on April 23, 2013. Andy Wong/Getty Images

A Chinese hacking group broke into U.S. government networks and had access to email accounts for a month, an incident that has triggered national security concerns.

The hacking incident began in May, and the email accounts of 25 organizations, including government agencies, were accessed. The issue was first identified by a government agency, which then alerted its service provider, Microsoft.