China claims the US NSA conducted cyberattacks on its national time center

• China has accused the US of cyber-espionage
• China's National Time Service Center was breached through security flaws in employee phones
• The two states have been pointing the finger at each other for years regarding various cyber-incidents

China has accusing the US of infiltrating its National Time Service Center, exploiting vulnerabilities in employee phones to steal login credentials, hack computers, and exfiltrate information.

China says it has ‘irrefutable evidence’ the US’s National Security Agency (NSA) has accessed stolen credentials and used these to breach network systems at the center as far back as 2022.

China warns these serious incidents may have disrupted financial systems, power supplies, communications networks, and the international standard time.

Protective measures

The National Time Center is a research institute, responsible for generating and distributing the official standard time, and providing precise timing for communications, finance, power, transport, and defense industries - any disruption to which could have a severe impact on daily life for citizens.

"Beginning April 18, 2023, the NSA used the stolen login credentials to break into the NTSC's computer systems and probe the construction of its internal network," reported CGTN.

"From August 2023 to June 2024, the agency deployed a new cyber-operation platform, using 42 types of specialized cyber weapons to launch high-intensity attacks on several internal network systems, while attempting to penetrate the "high-precision ground-based timing system" and implant capabilities to paralyze or destroy it."

A technical analysis report of the incident reveals the use of the 42 cyberattack weapons, as well as the use of the data transmission tunnels - ultimately with the goal of stealing data.

The two nations have a long history of accusing each other of cyber-intrusions, with the NSA recently coming under fire specifically for allegations it attacked Chinese critical infrastructure such as communications, transportation, and energy services.

To outline the extent of the cat and mouse game between the two states; In August of 2025, the NSA warned Chinese tech firms may have had ties to a cyber espionage group Salt Typhoon, which targeted hundreds of firms, lingering on networks and exfiltrating information.

Mr Lui Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy told TechRadar Pro, "Cyber attacks are a common threat faced by all countries, China included. China firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks and cyber crime—a position that is consistent and clear. At the same time, we also firmly oppose smearing others without solid evidence."

Via: Bloomberg

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