America and China haven’t been close since the Communists took over. But this goes beyond the normal diplomatic jabs.
Because China accused the United States of a shocking attack that could mean war.
China Alleges NSA Cyberattack on National Time Service
China’s Ministry of State Security has accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of orchestrating a multiyear cyberespionage campaign targeting the National Time Service Center, which maintains official Beijing Time critical for telecommunications, finance, and defense.
The ministry claims the NSA exploited a text-messaging vulnerability in 2022 to compromise employee phones, steal credentials, and infiltrate servers.
If true, this breach could have enabled the U.S. to disrupt China’s timekeeping, potentially destabilizing communications, banking, and satellite navigation—sectors vital to China’s tightly controlled infrastructure.
Sophisticated Tactics and U.S. Denials
According to Chinese authorities, the alleged NSA operation deployed 42 “specialized cyberattack weapons,” forging digital certificates, bypassing antivirus systems, and using advanced encryption to cover its tracks.
Such tactics, Beijing claims, could have allowed sabotage of financial transactions and satellite timing.
The NSA, in response, stated it “does not confirm nor deny allegations in the media regarding its operations,” emphasizing its focus on countering “foreign malign activities persistently targeting American interests.”
Meanwhile, China’s claims of defending against the attack by severing the attack chain and bolstering defenses raise questions about the reliability of their cybersecurity, given their history of aggressive cyber operations globally.
Escalating Tensions Amid China’s Own Cyber Aggressions
Beijing’s accusations fit a pattern of deflecting blame while painting the U.S. as a “cyber hegemony” pursuing global hacking dominance.
Yet, U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts have long highlighted China as the most persistent cyber threat, with state-linked groups like those behind the Microsoft SharePoint breach and Operation Salt Typhoon stealing vast amounts of data from U.S. government and private sectors.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing reiterated that China “is the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks.”
China’s latest claims, including prior accusations of NSA attacks during the Asian Winter Games, appear to counter mounting evidence of its own relentless cyberattacks, underscoring a heated cyber rivalry between the two powers.
