BEIJING, Oct 19 — China has accused the United States of conducting a prolonged cyberattack on its National Time Service Centre, alleging that the breach could have jeopardised critical systems including communications networks, financial infrastructure, power grids, and the nation’s standard time.
BEIJING, Oct 19 — China has accused the United States of conducting a prolonged cyberattack on its National Time Service Centre, alleging that the breach could have jeopardised critical systems including communications networks, financial infrastructure, power grids, and the nation’s standard time.
According to a statement released by China’s State Security Ministry on its official WeChat account today, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been targeting the centre for an extended period. The ministry claimed to have uncovered evidence showing that stolen data and credentials dating back to 2022 were used to monitor employees’ mobile devices and network systems.
The ministry alleged that the NSA “exploited a vulnerability” in the messaging system of an unspecified foreign smartphone brand to gain access to staff devices in 2022.
The National Time Service Centre, which operates under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is responsible for generating, maintaining, and distributing China’s standard time. The ministry further stated that US intelligence agencies launched cyberattacks on the centre’s internal networks and attempted to target its high-precision ground-based timing systems in 2023 and 2024.
The US embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tensions between Beijing and Washington over cybersecurity have escalated in recent years, with both nations accusing each other of state-backed hacking activities. The latest allegations surface amid growing trade frictions, including China’s new rare earth export restrictions and US threats to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods. — Reuters
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