GOP Rep. Don Bacon Says Chinese Spies Hacked Him

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) Monday claimed Chinese spies gained unauthorized access to personal and campaign emails using an exploit of Microsoft software.

The congressman said in a post to his X account that he was notified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents his emails were hacked by the Chinese between May 15 and June 16.

It was not due to user error, he asserted.

“There were other victims in this cyber operation,” Bacon revealed. “The Communist government in China are not our friends and are very active in conducting cyber espionage.”

“I’ll work overtime to ensure Taiwan gets every $ of the $19B in weapons backlog they’ve ordered, and more,” promised the Nebraska Republican in the thread on his X post.

Chinese spies hacked 25 organizations, using Microsoft server software, including the State and Commerce departments’ email accounts, according to a report from The Epoch Times.

Affected officials reportedly include U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Bacon received notice of the electronic intrusions in a telephone call from an FBI agent Monday, a spokesman from the congressman’s office told The Epoch Times. The report added the FBI had no comment.

Microsoft began investigating attacks on the Microsoft Network (MSN) June 16.

The Seattle software giant alerted Bacon the same date that his account “may have been compromised or hacked” and requested him to change the password, according to Bacon’s spokesperson.

The government cyber breach highlighted risks of relying on a single technology provider, such as Microsoft, whose code has been repeatedly exploited by malicious actors over previous decades.

“Having one monolithic vendor that is responsible for all of your technology, products, services, and security can end in disaster,” said Adam Meyers, head of intelligence for cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) summoned Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Raimondo for a briefing on the targeted Chinese cyber intrusion, the report noted.

Cybersecurity firm Mandiant revealed in June another Chinese hacking campaign where state-backed hackers allegedly broke into networks serving hundreds of public and private sector organizations.

One-third of the organizations exploited by a security vulnerablity were government agencies, including foreign ministries, the report added.