China Imposes One-Hour Reporting Rule for Major Cyber Incidents

China has introduced a sweeping set of cybersecurity rules requiring rapid reporting of major incidents, with infrastructure operators given a tight 60-minute window to alert authorities from 1 November.

The measures, published in a notice by the Cyberspace Administration of China, mandate network operators to grade incidents and report those affecting key infrastructure within an hour, while “a major or particularly important network security incident” must be notified within 30 minutes; other incidents may be reported within two to four hours depending on network criticality.

If operators encounter industry-specific regulations, they must also comply with those authorities’ timelines, and cases suspected of crime must be reported to the public security bureau in a timely manner, according to the translated version of the notice titled Measures for the Management of National Network Security Incident Reports.

The move follows recent China-linked cyber activity highlighted by CrowdStrike’s 2025 Global Threat Report, which shows a spike in China-linked operations, and is part of broader efforts to harden Chinese networks after high-profile global intrusions. The article notes experts’ views on the potential impact of such rapid reporting on investigation thoroughness and private-sector burdens.