Chinese police add three alleged NSA agents to a desired list on “advanced” attacks.
Northeast Harbin City Police of Harbin accused the United States National Security Agency (NSA) of launching cyber attacks “advanced” during Asian winter games in February, targeting the essential industries.
They added three presumed NSA agents to a desired list while accusing the University of California and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the State of State University to participate in attacks after having conducted surveys, according to a report by the Xinhua State Agency on Tuesday.
He did not specify how the two American universities were involved.
However, the report contained considerable details on cyber attacks and suspected persons.
It sometimes happens that the two largest economies in the world deepen a trade war that has already stimulated travel warnings for Chinese tourists in the United States and has interrupted imports of American films in China.
The American NSA has launched cyber attacks “against important industries such as energy, transport, water conservation, communications and national defense research institutions in the province of Heilongjiang”, according to the report, citing the public security office of Harbin City.
The United States Embassy in China did not immediately respond to a request for comments sent by e-mail.
The attacks had “the intention of sabotaging the critical information infrastructure of China, causing a social disorder and stealing significant confidential information,” he added.
Xinhua said NSA operations had taken place during winter games and were “suspected of activating specific pre-installed deadlines” in Microsoft Windows operating systems on specific devices in Heilongjiang.
Three individuals named “have repeatedly carried out the cyber attacks against the critical information infrastructure of China and participated in cyber attacks against Huawei and other companies,” he added.
The United States regularly accuses Chinese pirates supported by the state of launching attacks on its critical infrastructure and its government organizations.
Last month Washington announced indictment against many alleged Chinese pirates who targeted the US Defense Intelligence Agency, the American trade department, as well as the foreign ministries of Taiwan, South Korea, India and Indonesia.
Beijing denies any involvement in cyber-espionage abroad.
After years of accused by Western governments of cyber attacks and industrial espionage, several Chinese and governmental organizations have accused the United States and its allies of similar behavior in the last two years.
In December, China said it has found and treated two American cyber attacks on Chinese technological companies to “steal commercial secrets” since May 2023, but has not appointed the agency involved.
