China on Sunday accused the US National Security Agency of orchestrating cyberattacks against its National Time Service Center, after an official investigation, according to Arab News.
In a statement posted on WeChat, China’s Ministry of State Security claimed that the American agency had exploited vulnerabilities in the messaging services of an unnamed foreign mobile phone brand to steal sensitive data from devices belonging to staff at the National Time Service Center in 2022.
Moreover, the agency deployed 42 types of “specialized cyberattack weapons” to target several of the center’s internal network systems and tried to infiltrate a key national timing infrastructure between 2023 and 2024.
The ministry noted that it had evidence supporting its claims, but it did not provide any in its post.
“The US is accusing others of what it does itself, repeatedly hyping up claims about Chinese cyber threats,” it said.
The ministry explained that the National Time Service Center plays a vital role in generating and distributing China’s official standard time.
Therefore, it serves as the cornerstone for timing systems across various sectors such as communications, finance, energy, transportation, and defense.
It also added that the Chinese authorities had provided technical guidance to safeguard the center’s infrastructure and avoid risks of breaches.
In recent years, Western governments have accused state-linked Chinese hackers of targeting officials, journalists, corporations, and other entities.
Experts believe that the ministry’s latest statement could fuel tensions between Washington and Beijing, adding new concerns to the current disputes over trade, technology, and Taiwan.
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