Chinese Authorities Accuse US NSA of Cyberattacks During Asian Winter Games

• Chinese officials launched allegations against the NSA and U.S. universities regarding February cyberattacks.
• The U.S. is accused of exploiting existing backdoors and anonymous operations targeting several key sectors.
• Three NSA agents have been named as suspects in this alleged American operation.

Chinese authorities have accused the United States National Security Agency (NSA) of carrying out advanced cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure in China during the Asian Winter Games earlier this year. 

According to China's state news agency Xinhua, these alleged cyber activities were discovered after an investigation by the Harbin City Public Security Bureau. 

Attempts to reach the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for an official response remained unanswered at the time of reporting, news agency Reuters said.

Chinese officials claim that the NSA executed coordinated cyberattacks against several key sectors, including energy, transportation, national defense research institutions, and telecommunications. 

Beijing has also alleged that U.S.-based educational institutions, the University of California and Virginia Tech, were connected to these cyber activities. However, details regarding the specific involvement of these universities remain undisclosed.

Xinhua named three NSA agents as suspects in this operation. Identified as Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson, they are accused of repeatedly attacking key Chinese enterprises, including technology giant Huawei. 

The motive, officials claim, was to sabotage critical systems, steal sensitive data, and disrupt China's infrastructure.

The report from Xinhua also accuses NSA operatives of exploiting "pre-installed backdoors" in Microsoft Windows systems. The attacks, allegedly peaking during the Winter Games, are said to have targeted the Games' registration systems, gaining access to sensitive data on athletes and event personnel. 

Additionally, the NSA supposedly leveraged international network servers to mask their activities by purchasing IP addresses from multiple countries across Europe and Asia.

Cybersecurity disputes between the U.S. and China are escalating as both nations continue to exchange allegations of state-sponsored cyberespionage. 

While U.S. authorities have frequently blamed Chinese state-backed hackers for breaches into critical infrastructure and government networks, Chinese agencies have increasingly criticized the U.S. in recent years for allegedly conducting similar operations. 

The reported allegations arrive as the U.S. recently charged several Chinese hackers for compromising high-value networks, including the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and foreign ministries from various countries.