US Suspects China Cyber Attack on FBI Network, Internal Surveillance Data Allegedly Targeted

JAKARTA - The United States authorities suspect hackers affiliated with the Chinese government are behind the infiltration of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) internal computer network. The system that was infiltrated is said to store information related to a number of domestic surveillance orders.

The report, which was first revealed by the Wall Street Journal, said the investigation was still in its early stages so the scope and severity of the cyberattack could not be determined.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, American investigators suspect a group of hackers linked to the Chinese government to be the perpetrators behind the intrusion. However, there has been no official confirmation as to how far sensitive data has been accessed.

The FBI declined to comment on the report. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Washington has also not responded to media requests for comment.

A notification document sent by the FBI to Congress and reviewed by Reuters shows that the agency began investigating unusual log activity on February 17. The activity was detected on an internal network system that was the target of the attack.

The hackers are known to target systems that are not classified or unclassified. However, the system stores information about the communications of individuals who are under FBI investigation.

In the notification to Congress, the FBI described the techniques used by the hackers as "sophisticated". The agency also stated that the process of restoring the system and digital forensic investigations are still ongoing to find out how the intrusion occurred and whether any data was successfully accessed or copied.

Another report from Politico said that the investigation now involves a number of US national security agencies. The White House, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the Department of Homeland Security are working with the FBI to trace the incident.

A White House official said the government routinely holds meetings to discuss various cyber threats to the United States. However, he refused to provide details about this specific incident.

"The White House routinely holds meetings to discuss any cyber threat to the United States," the official told Reuters, adding that the government would not discuss the details of any specific incident.

The CISA cyber security agency directed media questions to the FBI, while the National Security Agency has not responded to a request for comment.

This incident once again highlights the increasing tensions in cyberspace between Washington and Beijing. In recent years, the United States has repeatedly accused state-backed hacker groups of conducting digital espionage against government infrastructure, technology companies, and strategic communication networks.

In the digital geopolitical era, the battlefield is no longer just at sea or in the air. Fiber optic cables, data servers, and computer code lines are now new areas where major countries spy on each other, test defenses, and sometimes - secretly - steal secrets. The intelligence world calls it a silent war, but its impact can shake national security like a conventional conflict.