Beijing has stepped up its spying warnings as its relations with the United States and other Western countries deteriorate.
China is urging its citizens to be vigilant against foreign attacks and to report any suspicious activity to authorities. PHOTO: PEXELS
China on Sunday accused the United States of carrying out cyberattacks against the national time center in Beijing that could have caused serious damage to critical financial and telecommunications infrastructure.
Beijing has increased spying warnings in recent years as relations with the United States and other Western countries have deteriorated.
Chinese authorities have found “irrefutable evidence” of efforts by the US National Security Agency (NSA) to hack the National Time Service Center, between 2022 and 2024, according to a statement posted on the official WeChat account of the Ministry of State Security.
Read also: Pakistan successfully launches first hyperspectral satellite from China
The facility is responsible for coordinating clocks across the country used by everything from computer servers to train stations and power grids.
The ministry accused the NSA of exploiting weaknesses in the messaging service of an unspecified foreign mobile phone brand to steal the login credentials of employees at the time management center.
The attacks could have endangered power grids, transportation and even space launches, the ministry said.
Since then, Chinese authorities have “broken attack chains, improved protection measures, and eliminated potential threats.”
“In recent years, the United States has aggressively pursued its hegemony in cyberspace, repeatedly trampling on international cyberspace rules,” the ministry said in its statement.
He urged Chinese citizens to be vigilant against foreign attacks and report any suspicious activity to authorities.
Read also: China-backed hackers blamed for F5 cybersecurity breach, Bloomberg reports
Western countries have accused hacker groups allegedly backed by China of waging a global cyberespionage campaign against figures critical of Beijing, democratic institutions and companies in various sensitive sectors.
Washington said last year that a Chinese state-sponsored actor was behind a cyberattack inside the U.S. Treasury Department.
Beijing then described these accusations as “unfounded”.
“Irrefutable evidence proves that the United States is the real ‘hacker empire’ and the biggest source of chaos in cyberspace,” China’s Ministry of State Security said on Sunday.
