Police in Harbin, in northeast Heilongjiang province, said on Tuesday they were pursuing three operatives affiliated with the US National Security Agency (NSA) over suspected cyberattacks against China.
The Harbin public security bureau named the three as Katheryn A Wilson, Robert J Snelling, and Stephen W Johnson, accusing them of launching cyberattacks targeting the Asian Winter Games that took place in Harbin in February.
Authorities said investigations by Chinese technical teams said the NSA focused its pre-event cyberattacks on critical systems of the Asian Winter Games, including registration, arrival and departure management, and competition entry platforms.
It said these systems, essential for pre-event operations, stored vast amounts of sensitive personal data of individuals associated with the Games.
Authorities also accused the NSA of cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure sectors in Heilongjiang province, including energy, transportation, water resources, telecommunications, and defence research institutions.
They accused the three NSA operatives of repeated cyberattacks against China's critical information infrastructure and cyber operations on companies such as Huawei.
The authorities stated that their technical teams also uncovered evidence implicating the University of California and Virginia Tech in the coordinated cyber campaign against the Asian Winter Games. (Xinhua)
China accuses NSA of cyberattacks on Harbin Games
2025-04-15 HKT 09:52
