China Accuses U.S. NSA of Cyberattacks During Asian Winter Games, Issues Warrants
As part of the investigation, local police placed three suspected NSA agents on a wanted list and claimed links to the University of California and Virginia Tech, alleging institutional involvement in the operations. The report provided extensive technical details but did not include comments from the U.S. side; the U.S. Embassy in China has yet to respond.
The report stated the alleged goal of the cyber operations was to undermine China’s critical information systems, stir public unrest, and extract classified data. Investigators claimed the NSA exploited pre-installed backdoors in Microsoft Windows to access devices during the Winter Games period.
In addition to targeting infrastructure, the accused individuals were said to have participated in previous cyberattacks on Chinese tech firms, including Huawei.
The accusations surface amid ongoing tensions between the world’s two largest economies, marked by trade disputes, halted cultural exchanges, and reciprocal cyber-espionage claims. While Washington regularly accuses Beijing of backing cyberattacks on U.S. government and infrastructure, China has increasingly responded with its own allegations, including recent claims of U.S. hacking efforts to steal
