China’s Ministry of State Security has alleged that the U.S. National Security Agency carried out cyberattacks against the National Time Service Center, saying the breaches could have disrupted communications, finance, power systems and international standard time.
The ministry said it found stolen data and credentials dating to 2022 and claimed the NSA exploited a vulnerability in a foreign smartphone brand’s messaging service to access staff devices.
It also alleged attacks against internal networks and attempts to infiltrate a ground-based timing system in 2023 and 2024. The center, a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, generates and maintains China’s standard time.
The U.S. embassy in Beijing declined to address the specific accusations; Reuters reported the embassy called “China is the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks.”
The accusation comes amid broader U.S.–China frictions, including China’s expanded rare-earth export controls that affect defense and semiconductor supply chains.
