China today accused the United States of launching a “disinformation operation” before the denunciations that suggest that an organization sponsored by Beijing would be carrying out a campaign of espionage and hacking of “critical infrastructure” of the North American country.
“It’s a piece of news, seriously lacking in evidence and extremely unprofessional. (…) Obviously, this is a collective disinformation operation by the United States,” said Mao Ning, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference.
The US National Security Agency (NSA) and the technology company Microsoft pointed this Wednesday at the organization ‘Volt Typhoon’ as responsible for an alleged campaign of cyber attacks that could “interrupt communication” between the United States and Asia in the future.
Mao accused the intelligence network known as ‘Five eyes’ (“Five eyes”, in English), made up of the US, Australia, Canada, the UK and New Zealand, of having “published news with false information” alongside the NSA, something he described as “ironic”.
The spokeswoman reiterated China’s accusation that the US launched cyberattacks against a polytechnic university and demanded that Washington “explain” that alleged raid “instead of spreading fake news to divert attention.”
According to Microsoft, the reported cyberattacks would have affected the communications, manufacturing, public services, transportation, construction, maritime, government, information technology, and education sectors.
“An agent, sponsored by China, and living outside the territory (of the US), is using tools integrated into the networks to evade our defenses and leave no trace”said Rob Joyce, the NSA’s director of cybersecurity.
The hackers, active since mid-2021, would have directed their attacks at organizations in Guam, a US island in the Pacific that is home to a major naval and air base, as well as other parts of the country.