NSA Hackers Allegedly Gained Access to Chinese Infrastructure (Newsmax)
By Eric Mack | Thursday, 22 September 2022 01:53 PM EDT
Chinese state media is claiming the National Security Agency hacked the email systems of a prominent public research university in China, gaining access to China's telecommunications network in an effort to control Chinese infrastructure.
The NSA reportedly accessed the systems at Northwestern Polytechnical University in the Shaanxi Province, an institution with ties to aviation, aerospace, and navigation studies, through phishing attacks on professors and students, sources told the Global Times.
China conducted a technical review of the alleged hacking and had determined the NSA's Tailored Access Operations (TAO), a hacking unit in the NSA, according to the report.
China's investigation alleges the hack stole network data to build a channel for remote access to the network, including attempting to "control China's infrastructure," the Times reported.
The probe alleged the hacker(s) used "41 types of weapons" to steal data, "1,100 attack links," and "90 operating instruction sequences."
Under former President Donald Trump, when negotiating for new trade deals with China, U.S. officials alleged the Chinese use forced technology transfer and intellectual property theft in an effort to gain economic superiority. The two global superpowers are fiercely competitive in the new battleground of technology, public and private.
The NSA did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment, and the Times reported more details are going to come "soon" on the allegations of U.S. intelligence hacking in China.