Beijing [China], April 15 (HBTV): China has accused the United States of conducting cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure in Heilongjiang Province—including energy, transportation, water resources, telecommunications, and defense research institutions—during the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games held in February, according to state media.

According to a report by Xinhua on Tuesday, police in China have issued wanted notices for three individuals allegedly affiliated with the US National Security Agency (NSA). These individuals are suspected of carrying out cyberattacks against the 9th Asian Winter Games, which took place in Harbin from February 7 to 14.

Authorities stated that technical teams uncovered evidence implicating the University of California and Virginia Tech in what was described as a coordinated cyber campaign against the event.

The Harbin public security bureau has announced rewards for the capture of the three alleged operatives — Katheryn A Wilson, Robert J Snelling, and Stephen W Johnson — who are accused of targeting the Games with cyberattacks.

Investigations by Chinese technical teams revealed that the attacks were carried out by the NSA’s Office of Tailored Access Operations. Xinhua reported that the NSA was 'suspected of activating specific pre-installed backdoors' in Microsoft Windows operating systems on devices located in Heilongjiang.

According to the report, the NSA used various front organizations to obscure the origins of its cyber operations. These fronts allegedly purchased IP addresses from different countries and anonymously rented servers across regions including Europe and Asia.

Xinhua claimed that the objective of the cyberattacks was to steal personal data of athletes participating in the Winter Games, with the attacks reportedly peaking on February 3, coinciding with the first ice hockey game.

A Global Times report dated April 3 cited findings from the Cyber Threat Report of the 9th Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025, issued by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and the National Engineering Laboratory for Computer Virus Prevention Technology. The report stated that the information systems supporting the competition and critical infrastructure in Heilongjiang Province were 'targeted by numerous cyberattacks from abroad', primarily from the United States, the Netherlands, and other countries and regions.

'These attacks even targeted critical network infrastructure in an attempt to create chaos and steal sensitive intelligence,' the report added.

The United States has frequently accused China of engaging in similar cyber activities. Last month, the US Department of Justice unsealed indictments against eight employees of Chinese technology firm i-Soon and two officers from China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) for various hacking-related offences.

In addition, the US imposed sanctions on Zhou Shuai, a Shanghai-based cyber actor and data broker, and his company, Shanghai Heiying Information Technology Company. US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that Zhou illegally obtained, brokered, and sold data from highly sensitive US infrastructure networks, including those in the defence, communications, health, and government sectors.

In January, the US Treasury Department imposed further sanctions on a Chinese tech firm allegedly involved in a major cyberattack on American telecommunications networks. According to a CNN report, the hackers had targeted phone communications of President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and senior members of the Biden administration.

The Treasury Department also sanctioned a Shanghai-based individual for involvement in another hack that targeted unclassified data from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, and the US government office responsible for reviewing foreign investments for national security implications.(ANI)