Chinese intelligence has accused the United States of conducting a yearslong cyberattack on its national time service, a critical infrastructure that underpins the country’s telecommunications, financial, and defense sectors. The Ministry of State Security stated that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) infiltrated the National Time Service Center (NTSC) by exploiting a vulnerability in text-messaging systems, using it to gain control of employee cellphones and later accessing servers to plant covert tools. According to the Chinese government, the operation, which allegedly began in 2022, allowed the NSA to tamper with the national timekeeping system, which could have disruptive effects on communication, financial transactions, and satellite navigation across China.
The allegations have been accompanied by claims that the NSA deployed 42 specialized cyberattack tools to enable the breach, including forged digital certificates to bypass antivirus systems and strong encryption to erase digital traces of its activity. These measures, experts suggest, could have allowed the attack to operate undetected for an extended period. However, the NSA has not confirmed or denied the accusations, stating that its focus remains on countering foreign threats that target U.S. interests. The U.S. has previously claimed that China poses the greatest cyber threat to American infrastructure, and the accusation reflects the ongoing cybersecurity tensions between the two global powers.
Beijing’s claims align with a longstanding pattern of mutual accusations over state-sponsored hacking, with China frequently accusing the U.S. of launching cyber operations against its systems. In turn, U.S. intelligence agencies have attributed numerous data-theft campaigns, including the Microsoft Sharepoint breach and Operation Salt Typhoon, to Chinese state-linked groups. The recent allegations, however, are notable for their focus on the national time service, a system that is essential for maintaining the synchronization of critical infrastructure. This underscores the strategic importance of such systems in modern economies, where their integrity is vital to national security and financial stability.
In addition to the accusations, China’s national security authority has claimed that the U.S. has been pursuing a policy of “cyber hegemony,” launching hacking operations not only against Chinese systems but also across the globe. The latest assertion, however, comes amid growing concerns over the vulnerability of global infrastructure to cyber threats, with U.S. experts warning of the potential for large-scale disruptions if such systems fall into hostile hands. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing has reaffirmed its position that China is the most active and persistent cyber threat to American interests, highlighting the complexity of the ongoing cyber conflict between the two nations.
While the accusations have not been verified, the incident raises important questions about the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure to state-sponsored cyber operations. The global implications of such attacks extend beyond the immediate economic and political tensions, prompting calls for greater international cooperation in cybersecurity. As both nations continue to accuse each other of cyber espionage, the issue remains one of the most pressing concerns in modern geopolitics, with the potential for significant financial and strategic consequences if such breaches are not addressed.