China Accuses US of Hacking Asian Winter Games

In a shocking move, China has accused the United States of hacking into the networks of the 2025 Asian Winter Games held in Harbin, with Beijing identifying three US National Security Agency (NSA) agents as responsible for the attack.

The accusations were made by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, citing Harbin police, who revealed that the NSA's Office of Tailored Access Operations was behind the hacking. The hackers targeted "registration, arrival/departure management, and competition entry platforms" on the computer systems, resulting in the theft of "vast amounts of sensitive personal data" from individuals associated with the games.

The three US agents suspected of carrying out the hacking were named as Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson by Xinhua. It is unclear whether Bloomberg News was able to verify that these individuals actually work for the NSA.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian condemned the hacks, saying they "severely endangered the security of China's critical information infrastructure, national defense, finance, society, production, as well as citizens' personal information."

The Scale of the Attack

According to Chinese National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, over 270,000 foreign cyberattacks were recorded on computer networks associated with the Asian Winter Games between February 7 and February 14. Approximately two-thirds of these attacks were traced back to the United States.

A Long-Standing Cyber Rivalry

The latest development in this ongoing cyber rivalry comes amidst a long-standing campaign by US officials to characterize China as the "most active and persistent cyber threat" to US government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks. The US has also been tracking a series of cyberattacks known as "Volt Typhoon", which have targeted critical infrastructure and other sensitive systems.

A History of Controversy

China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center has previously accused the United States of carrying out numerous cyber attacks against China, including breaches at major companies such as Huawei Technologies Co. The Chinese government has consistently denied these allegations, with Foreign Ministry spokespersons accusing the US of trying to deflect attention from its own alleged wrongdoing.

Recent Developments

In recent months, US prosecutors have charged 10 Chinese citizens and two government agents for hacking that targeted dissidents, religious groups, news outlets, and American government agencies. Additionally, in January, Bloomberg News reported that the computer of former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was infiltrated and unclassified files were accessed as part of a broader breach of the agency by Chinese state-sponsored hackers.

Reactions and Implications

The accusations from China have sparked concern among experts about the escalating cyber rivalry between the two superpowers. As tensions continue to rise, it remains to be seen how the US will respond to these allegations and what implications this has for global cybersecurity and national security.