China on Sunday accused the US National Security Agency (NSA) of carrying out cyberattacks on its National Time Service Center. It further warned that any damage to the facility could disrupt network communications, financial systems and power supply.The Ministry of State Security said in a WeChat post that the US agency exploited vulnerabilities in the messaging services of a foreign mobile phone brand in 2022 to steal sensitive information from devices used by the center’s staff. The ministry however, did not name the brand.It also claimed that the NSA used 42 types of “special cyberattack tools” to target multiple internal network systems and attempted to infiltrate a key timing system between 2023 and 2024, news agency Associated Press reported.
The National Time Service Center is responsible for generating and distributing China’s standard time and provides timing services to critical sectors including communications, finance, power, transport and defense. Authorities said they had issued guidance to the center to address and remove potential risks.
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“The US is accusing others of what it does itself, repeatedly hyping up claims about Chinese cyber threats,” the ministry added.In recent years, Western governments have accused hackers linked to China of targeting officials, journalists, corporations and others. China’s latest statement could further heighten tensions between Washington and Beijing, which are already strained over trade, technology and Taiwan.
