The Chinese government has accused the United States of hacking its National Time Service Centre, warning that the cyber breach could have disrupted communication, energy, and financial systems.
In a statement released on its official WeChat account on Sunday, China’s Ministry of State Security alleged that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had carried out a long-term cyber operation targeting the centre. According to the ministry, evidence showed data and credentials were stolen as far back as 2022, allowing U.S. operatives to infiltrate the network and spy on staff mobile devices.
The ministry claimed the NSA had “exploited a vulnerability” in the messaging service of a foreign smartphone brand to gain access to employees’ devices. However, it did not specify which brand was involved.
The National Time Service Centre, a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is responsible for generating, maintaining, and broadcasting China’s official standard time, a critical component in the synchronization of communication, financial, and power systems.
The ministry further alleged that U.S. intelligence agencies had launched attacks on the centre’s internal networks and attempted to compromise its high-precision, ground-based timing systems in 2023 and 2024.
The U.S. embassy in Beijing did not respond directly to the allegations but told Reuters that cyber actors based in China have compromised major U.S. and global telecommunications networks in extensive espionage campaigns.
“China is the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks”, an embassy spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The accusations mark the latest escalation in the ongoing cyber rivalry between the two countries, with each accusing the other of large-scale hacking and espionage.
The latest claims also come amid renewed trade and diplomatic tensions, as Beijing tightens controls on rare earth exports and Washington considers raising tariffs on Chinese goods.
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