A US agency was accused by China of repeatedly hacking a research university linked to the government, escalating a dispute between the world’s two largest economies over cyber snooping.
The National Security Agency’s Office of Tailored Access Operations carried out the attacks on Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, according to China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center.
A team from the center and 360 Security Technology Inc. analyzed the university’s information systems after it reported an attack from overseas in June, the statement added.
The NSA also conducted more than 10,000 “vicious” cyberattacks on Chinese targets in recent years, stealing more than 140 gigabytes of data with “great value,” the team said.
Neither the US embassy in Beijing nor the NSA immediately replied to requests for comment.
Beijing and Washington have been engaged in an increasingly testy war of words over cyber spying, with China becoming more direct in its accusations.
In February, a Chinese cybersecurity firm called Pangu Lab said it discovered US-sponsored hacking activity on Chinese soil. Before that claim, Beijing had usually responded to US charges by saying it was a victim of hacking.
Northwestern Polytechnical University is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and has research programs in aeronautics, astronautics and marine technology engineering.
