China accuses US of hacking its National Time Service Center
What's the story
China has accused the United States of hacking its National Time Service Center, a facility that generates and maintains China's standard time. The accusation was made by China's State Security Ministry in a post on its WeChat account. The ministry claimed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been conducting a long-term cyberattack operation against this center.
Cyber breach
NSA allegedly spied on mobile devices, network systems
The Chinese ministry said it has found evidence of stolen data and credentials dating back to 2022. These were allegedly used to spy on the mobile devices and network systems at the center. The NSA is accused of "exploiting a vulnerability" in the messaging service of an unnamed foreign smartphone brand, allowing access to staff members' devices in 2022.
Network attack
US attempted to breach timing system
The investigation by the Chinese ministry also found that the US had attacked the center's internal network systems, and attempted to breach its high-precision ground-based timing system in 2023 and 2024. The National Time Service Center, a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, plays a crucial role in maintaining China's standard time.
Diplomatic response
US embassy yet to respond
The US embassy has not yet responded to China's allegations. The accusations come amid rising trade tensions between the two countries over China's expanded rare earths export controls, and America's threats to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods. Over the past few years, China and the US have been trading cyberattack accusations, each calling the other its biggest cyber threat.