China pursuing 3 alleged US operatives over cyberattacks during Asian
Games
[April 15, 2025]
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China said Tuesday it is pursuing three alleged
U.S. operatives accused of carrying out cyberattacks on Chinese
infrastructure during the Asian Games held in the city of Harbin in
February.
A notice from the Harbin police headquarters named them as Katheryn A.
Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson and said they worked
through the National Security Agency. The police said nothing about how
they obtained the names or where the three were believed to be at
present.
The alleged attacks targeted the systems for managing the Games
themselves, such as registration, competition entry and travel, all of
which stored “vast amounts of sensitive personal data of individuals
associated with the Games,” the police said.
The attacks continued during the Games in an attempt to “disrupt them
and undermine their normal operations,” according to the official Xinhua
News Agency.
The report also alleged the NSA cyberattacks targeted critical
infrastructure in Heilongjiang province, which includes Harbin, such as
energy, transportation, water resources, telecommunications, and defense
research institutions. The hackers also attacked Chinese technology
company Huawei, Xinhua said.
The report alleged that the NSA “transmitted unknown encrypted data
packets to specific devices running Microsoft Windows operating systems
within the province.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, dished out further
criticisms at a daily briefing, while offering no firm evidence.
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The attacks caused "serious harm to China’s critical infrastructure,
national defense, finance, society, production, and the personal
information security of Chinese citizens. The nature of these
actions is extremely malicious," Lin said.
“China has expressed its concerns to the U.S. side through various
means regarding the U.S. cyberattacks on China’s critical
infrastructure. We urge the U.S. to adopt a responsible attitude on
cybersecurity issues, stop cyberattacks on China, and cease
unwarranted smears and attacks on China. China will continue to take
necessary measures to protect its cybersecurity,” the spokesperson
said.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to messages
seeking comment.
It’s not clear why the alleged attacks would have been timed to the
Asian Games, unless it was expected that China might ease some of
its strict internet controls while hosting the competition.
The U.S. and China have long accused each other of cyberattacks,
with the U.S. also naming Chinese individuals who worked for
military hacking units, even issuing wanted posters for them.
Just last month, the Justice Department and others announced
coordinated efforts to disrupt and deter the malicious cyber
activities of 12 Chinese nationals, including two law enforcement
officers, the DOJ reported.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence last month
called China “the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S.
government, private-sector, and critical infrastructure networks.”
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