China Accuses US of Multi-Year Cyberattack on National Time Agency

By Staff, Agencies

China’s Ministry of State Security [MSS] has accused the US National Security Agency [NSA] of conducting a “major” multi-year cyberattack on its National Time Service Center, responsible for maintaining the country’s official time.

According to the MSS, the covert operation began in March 2022 with the aim of stealing state secrets and sabotaging critical infrastructure. The center issues ‘Beijing Time’ to sectors including finance, energy, transport, and defense, and any disruption could have caused widespread instability.

The MSS claimed the NSA exploited vulnerabilities in foreign-made mobile phones of staff members to gain initial access and later used stolen passwords to infiltrate the facility’s computer systems, peaking between August 2023 and June 2024. Investigators alleged that 42 distinct cyber tools were deployed, with virtual private servers in the US, Europe and Asia used to conceal the attackers’ origin.

The ministry accused the US of “aggressively pursuing cyber-hegemony” and violating international norms, asserting that American intelligence agencies have repeatedly carried out cyberattacks targeting China, Southeast Asia, Europe and South America.

The accusations come amid a pattern of mutual cyber-recriminations between Washington and Beijing, which have also been engaged in a trade war. In January, US media reported alleged Chinese hacking of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which Beijing dismissed as “unfounded.”