China has accused the US National Security Agency (NSA) of carrying out an extended cyberattack operation targeting the country’s National Time Service Center – a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences responsible for generating, maintaining and broadcasting China’s standard time.China’s State Security Ministry issued a statement on its WeChat account on Sunday (October 19), warning that serious breaches could have jeopardised communication networks, financial systems, power supply, and the international standard time, news agency Reuters reported.

China says it has evidence of hacking and spying

The ministry reportedly stated that its investigation uncovered evidence tracing stolen data and credentials as far back as 2022. According to the ministry, the US intelligence agency initially “exploited a vulnerability” in the messaging service of an unnamed foreign smartphone brand to gain access to staff members’ mobile devices and network systems at the center.The ministry’s investigation also claims that the US launched attacks on the centre’s internal network systems in 2023 and 2024, and simultaneously attempted to attack the high-precision ground-based timing system.The latest accusations come amid heightened tensions between China and the US over trade, including China’s expanded rare earths export controls and the US threat to raise tariffs on Chinese goods. The US embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusations.

China accused Taiwan of cyber attacks

Recently, China claimed that Taiwan had attacked the country with cyber operations. China offered a bounty for 18 people it said were Taiwanese military psychological operations officers spreading “separatist” messages.Meanwhile, Taiwan claimed that it detected more than 10,000 “abnormal” social media accounts, including many on Facebook, which have helped disseminate more than 1.5 million messages that the bureau deemed as disinformation.