China Accuses US of Cyberattack on National Time Center

China on 19 October 2025 accused the US National Security Agency of carrying out cyberattacks on its National Time Service Center, warning that any damage to related facilities could disrupt network communications, financial systems and power supply, according to the Associated Press.

The Ministry of State Security alleged in a WeChat post that the U.S. agency had exploited vulnerabilities in the messaging services of a foreign mobile phone brand to steal sensitive information from the centre’s staff in 2022, though it did not specify the brand. It also claimed the NSA used 42 types of “special cyberattack weapons” to target the centre’s multiple internal network systems and attempted to infiltrate a key timing system between 2023 and 2024.

The time centre is responsible for generating and distributing China’s standard time and provides timing services to sectors including communications, finance, power, transport and defence; authorities say they had provided guidance to mitigate risks. The statement accused the U.S. of hyping Chinese threats while offering no evidence in the post.