Beijing: Chinese authorities have accused the United States National Security Agency (NSA) of orchestrating a series of “advanced” cyberattacks against critical infrastructure during the Asian Winter Games held in February. The public security bureau in Harbin, a city in northeastern Heilongjiang province, alleged that the cyber intrusions targeted key sectors, including energy, transportation, water management, communications, and defense research institutions.
According to a report published by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Chinese police have placed three individuals identified as NSA operatives—Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson—on a wanted list. The trio is accused of conducting repeated cyberattacks on China’s critical information infrastructure and of being involved in cyber operations targeting tech giant Huawei and other Chinese enterprises.
The report also claimed involvement from two prominent U.S. academic institutions—the University of California and Virginia Tech—though it did not clarify the nature or extent of their alleged participation in the NSA’s activities.
The U.S. Embassy in China has not yet responded to a request for comment on the matter.
Xinhua reported that during the Winter Games, the NSA’s operations “were suspected of activating specific pre-installed backdoors” in Microsoft Windows operating systems deployed in targeted devices. These intrusions, according to Chinese authorities, aimed to “sabotage China’s critical information infrastructure, cause social disorder, and steal important confidential information.”
To evade detection, the NSA allegedly used sophisticated methods, including the anonymous rental of network servers across Europe and Asia and the purchase of international IP addresses to obscure its digital footprint.
Xinhua further alleged that the attacks peaked on February 3, coinciding with the start of the ice hockey tournament at the Asian Winter Games. Among the systems targeted was the registration platform for the games, which held sensitive identity information of participants and staff. According to Chinese investigators, the attackers aimed to extract personal data on athletes and event personnel.
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The allegations come at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, whose trade war has escalated into travel warnings and cultural pushback, such as China’s halt on imports of American films.
While Beijing has long been on the receiving end of U.S. accusations involving cyber espionage, the Chinese government has increasingly turned the tables. In recent years, several Chinese state entities have begun accusing the United States and its allies of launching similar attacks on Chinese organizations and companies.
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In December, Chinese authorities reported two separate instances of cyberattacks originating from the United States targeting Chinese tech firms to “steal trade secrets” since May 2023. However, the reports at the time did not specify which U.S. agency was behind them.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials continue to level their own accusations. Just last month, Washington unsealed indictments against several alleged Chinese hackers accused of targeting U.S. defense agencies, the Department of Commerce, and the foreign ministries of Taiwan, India, Indonesia, and South Korea.
Beijing has consistently denied any involvement in overseas cyber espionage.
