The Chinese flag flies in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ headquarters in Beijing in 2020. China accused the United States Sunday of “cyber espionage.” File photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
China on Sunday accused the United States of espionage against the country’s top time center, which China said could seriously impact the orderly functioning of its society.
China’s top counter-espionage agency, the Ministry of State Security, said the U.S. National Security Agency is responsible for a series of cyberattacks on the Chinese National Time Services Center.
The Chinese Ministry of State Security made the accusation via a social media post Sunday.
Based in Xian, Shaanxi province, the time center is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and is responsible for generating and disseminating the country’s standard time.
It also provides the precise time for China’s communications, finance, power, transportation, mapping and defense systems. The U.S. embassy in China did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China said in a statement Sunday that the attacks were “long-tem, highly covert, and employed state-level cyberespionage tools.”
China alleged that the NSA exploited a security flaw in time center software, allowing it to seize control of foreign-brand phones used by several of the center’s employees, and gain access to sensitive data.
China said the NSA began targeting vulnerable cellphones in March 2022 to steal login credentials and other information and, starting in April 2023, used the information to gain access to the sensitive time center data and infrastructure.
Chinese security officials said the NSA carried out its cyberattacks during late-night hours in Beijing via private servers in the United States, Europe and Asia to hide activity.
The Chinese investigation also alleged the United States forged digital certificates to bypass security, and used encryption algorithms to erase evidence of their presence.
