Harbin accuses NSA trio of cyberattacks during winter games
The Chinese police in Harbin issued wanted notices for three NSA employees, accusing them of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure during the Asian Winter Games.
The Chinese police in Harbin accused three employees of the American National Security Agency (NSA) of conducting advanced cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. According to Xinhua agency, the attacks, which the Americans were accused of, were said to have occurred in February during the Asian Winter Games held in Harbin.
According to information provided by the municipal public security office, cited by the Polish Press Agency, the NSA allegedly conducted cyberattacks on key sectors such as energy, transportation, water management, communications, and defence research institutes in Heilongjiang province. The wanted list includes Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson from the Tailored Access Operations Office (TAO) under the NSA.
They were accused of repeatedly conducting cyberattacks on Chinese information infrastructure and participating in attacks on Huawei and other Chinese enterprises. The aim of these actions was allegedly to cause social unrest and steal confidential information, including athletes' personal data.
Connections with American universities
Investigators also linked the University of California and Virginia Tech to the campaign targeting the Asian Winter Games. According to "Global Times," the Chinese National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre reported over 270,000 cyberattacks related to this event, two-thirds of which were said to originate from the USA.
The accusations appear in the context of escalating trade tensions between China and the USA. Both countries regularly accuse each other of conducting attacks on critical infrastructure. The US Embassy in Beijing did not comment on these allegations.
