The U.S. National Security Agency has been accused by China's State Security Ministry of having conducted a long-term cyberattack against the country's National Time Service Center, a research institute that manages the Chinese standard time, which may have resulted in communication network and financial system, as well as power supply disruptions, according to Reuters.
Intrusions purportedly commenced with the exploitation of a vulnerability in a foreign smartphone maker's messaging service to infiltrate staff members' mobile devices in 2022, with the NSA then using stolen credentials and other data to facilitate extensive cyberespionage at the center's internal networks.
China's high-precision ground-based timing system was also attempted to be compromised by the NSA in 2023 and 2024, claimed the Chinese ministry's investigation. Such allegations were not directly responded to by the U.S. embassy in Beijing. However, the embassy reiterated that China has become the "most active and persistent threat" faced by the U.S.
