Beijing says alleged NSA-linked hacking could have disrupted power, transport, and space systems
China on Sunday accused the United States of launching cyberattacks on its National Time Service Center, claiming the alleged hacking attempts—linked to the US National Security Agency (NSA) posed serious risks to the country’s critical infrastructure.
According to a statement from China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), investigators uncovered “irrefutable evidence” that the NSA attempted to infiltrate the national time centre between 2022 and 2024. The ministry said the attacks could have endangered systems crucial to power grids, transport networks, and even space launches.
The United States has aggressively pursued cyber hegemony, repeatedly trampling on international cyberspace rules, the ministry said in its statement posted on WeChat.
‘Hacker Empire’ Allegations
The ministry claimed US hackers exploited vulnerabilities in the messaging platform of an unspecified foreign mobile phone brand to steal employee login credentials from the time centre, which synchronises clocks used by computer servers, train systems, and telecommunications networks nationwide.
Chinese authorities said they had since “severed attack chains, upgraded protective measures, and eliminated potential threats.”
The MSS further described the US as the “true hacker empire” and the “greatest source of chaos in cyberspace.”
Rising Tensions in Cyberspace
Beijing has increasingly issued warnings over foreign espionage as its relations with Washington and other Western nations deteriorate.
In recent years, the US and its allies have accused China-backed hacker groups of carrying out global cyber-espionage operations targeting critics of Beijing, democratic institutions, and companies in sensitive industries.
Washington claimed last year that a China state-sponsored actor was responsible for a breach of the US Treasury Department’s systems an accusation that Beijing dismissed as “groundless.
China’s latest allegations mark a new flashpoint in the escalating US-China cyber rivalry, with both sides trading accusations of hacking and digital interference.
