China has accused the United States of orchestrating a significant cyberattack against its National Time Service Center. This attack, according to Chinese officials, posed threats to the nation”s communication, financial, and transportation infrastructures, potentially leading to severe disruptions such as power outages.
In a recent post on WeChat, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) stated that it had found “irrefutable evidence” suggesting that the National Security Agency (NSA) exploited vulnerabilities in a foreign mobile phone brand”s messaging service. This exploitation reportedly allowed the NSA to hijack mobile devices and acquire sensitive data from employees of the National Time Service Center, with these activities beginning in late March 2022.
The MSS further alleged that in April 2023, the NSA accessed the Time Service Center”s computers using stolen credentials, enabling unauthorized surveillance of its networks. The agency accused the NSA of employing a “cyber warfare platform” and activating 42 specialized cyberattack tools to execute a high-intensity assault on various internal systems of the Time Service Center between August 2023 and June 2024.
According to the MSS, the NSA also attempted to infiltrate the precision ground-based timing system, which could have led to its failure. However, Chinese national security authorities claim they successfully thwarted this attack.
Located in Xi”an, Shaanxi Province, the National Time Service Center is crucial for providing high-precision timing services to the Chinese government and vital infrastructure sectors. The allegations of a cyberattack coincide with ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, and follow numerous reports regarding Chinese government operatives breaching US networks, including those linked to the US Air Force and major oil and gas companies.
In a recent security report, the firm F5 revealed that its network was compromised by highly skilled hackers believed to be working on behalf of the Chinese government, resulting in the theft of critical source code and sensitive customer data.
In its WeChat statement, the MSS accused US intelligence agencies of persistently executing cyberattacks targeting not only China but also regions across Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America. It further claimed that the US coerces other nations into amplifying narratives of “Chinese hacker attacks.” The MSS asserted, “Ironclad facts have proven that the US is the true “Matrix” and the greatest source of chaos in cyberspace,” although it did not provide evidence to substantiate its claims.
The NSA has not responded to requests for comment regarding these accusations.
