China has accused the United States National Security Agency (NSA) of carrying out cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games, targeting key industries and government research institutions in Heilongjiang province. 

Authorities in Harbin say they discovered the attacks while investigating network breaches that allegedly aimed to sabotage China’s critical information infrastructure.

Local police listed the names of the alleged NSA agents

According to a Xinhua report on Tuesday, local police have listed three alleged NSA agents as wanted suspects: Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson. 

The report claims these individuals repeatedly attacked China’s essential information networks and were also involved in hacking Huawei and other companies. Police also named the University of California and Virginia Tech, accusing them of taking part in these activities, although the report did not clarify how the universities were involved.

“The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) launched cyber attacks against important industries such as energy, transportation, water conservancy, communications, and national defense research institutions in Heilongjiang province,” the Xinhua report quoted the Harbin Public Security Bureau as saying. It said the attacks intended to create “social disorder” and steal critical information. The U.S. Embassy in China did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Investigators say the alleged NSA operations peaked during the Winter Games, which took place in February, and were “suspected of activating specific pre-installed backdoors” in Microsoft Windows systems on selected devices in Heilongjiang. Xinhua stated that the attackers tried to conceal their origins by purchasing IP addresses in various countries and “anonymously” renting a large number of network servers across Europe and Asia.

Officials say the cyberattacks targeted the Asian Winter Games registration network, obtaining “sensitive information about the identities of relevant personnel of the event.” Xinhua alleges the NSA aimed to use the stolen data for unauthorized activities linked to competition participants. Police also claim the agency’s repeated strikes on Chinese entities were part of a broader strategy to undermine domestic security and collect confidential data.

China denies its involvement in overseas cyber attacks

Beijing denies any involvement in overseas cyber espionage. In the past two years, Chinese organizations and state agencies have begun to accuse the U.S. and its allies of similar cyber activities.

Xinhua’s detailed report follows December statements from Beijing that it discovered and dealt with two alleged U.S. cyberattacks on Chinese tech firms aimed at “stealing trade secrets” since May 2023, though no specific agency was named at that time.

Tensions between China and the United States are already running high, with both countries imposing trade sanctions and issuing travel warnings. In recent years, U.S. authorities have accused Chinese state-backed hackers of breaching American infrastructure and government networks.

Last month, Washington announced indictments against several alleged Chinese hackers who reportedly targeted the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, the Department of Commerce, and the foreign ministries of Taiwan, South Korea, India, and Indonesia.

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