Chinese authorities in Harbin have publicly accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of orchestrating sophisticated cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure during the Asian Winter Games held in February. According to a report released by state news agency Xinhua on Tuesday, police have placed three alleged NSA agents on a wanted list and implicated two major U.S. universities—University of California and Virginia Tech—in the incident, though specific details regarding their involvement were not disclosed.
The report highlights escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, with bilateral relations increasingly strained by trade disputes and heightened mutual distrust over cybersecurity issues. Chinese officials claimed the attacks specifically targeted vital sectors such as energy, transportation, telecommunications, water management, and national defense research facilities in Heilongjiang province.
Authorities in Harbin stated the cyberattacks aimed to undermine China’s critical information infrastructure, disrupt social stability, and extract confidential data. The report alleges that the NSA exploited pre-installed backdoors in Microsoft Windows systems on devices used during the games to carry out the operation.
Three individuals named in the report were said to be involved in repeated hacking activities, including prior attacks on Chinese tech firms such as Huawei. The report did not clarify whether these individuals were currently within U.S. territory.
This comes amid a broader backdrop of cyber-espionage accusations between the two global powers. While the United States frequently accuses Chinese state-sponsored hackers of targeting American government agencies and critical infrastructure, China has recently begun to voice similar claims. In December, Beijing said it had thwarted two U.S.-linked cyber intrusions into Chinese tech companies aimed at stealing trade secrets since May 2023.
In a parallel development last month, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted several alleged Chinese hackers for infiltrating American government departments and the foreign ministries of several countries, including India, South Korea, and Indonesia.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing has not yet responded to requests for comment on the recent Chinese allegations.
Meanwhile, the international tech landscape continues to shift. On Monday, Intel announced the sale of its majority stake in Altera for nearly $4.5 billion, resulting in a boost to its share prices by more than 6%.
As both nations continue to trade accusations of cyber interference, the digital battlefield remains an increasingly volatile front in their geopolitical rivalry.
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