Chinese security officials on Tuesday accused three alleged US "secret agents" of launching cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games held in Harbin in February. Authorities offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of the individuals.
According to a statement released by Harbin police on Weibo, the suspects—identified as Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson—are affiliated with the US National Security Agency's (NSA) Office of Tailored Access Operations, a division specializing in cyberwarfare and intelligence gathering.
China’s national computer virus emergency response center reported earlier this month that more than 270,000 foreign cyberattacks had targeted systems related to the 9th Asian Winter Games, which took place from February 7 to 14 in the northeastern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. The attacks allegedly began on January 26 and lasted through the end of the event, affecting information dissemination, immigration management systems, card payments, and other local infrastructure.
According to Chinese authorities, approximately two-thirds of the attacks originated from the United States. The statement further claimed that the NSA agents also targeted Chinese companies, including Huawei, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019 over national security concerns.
State-run news agency Xinhua reported that investigative teams had found evidence linking the cyberattacks to institutions such as the University of California and Virginia Tech, suggesting a coordinated campaign.
Authorities said they are offering a reward—though the specifics were not disclosed—for any information that could assist in apprehending the suspects and encouraged public cooperation. Under Chinese law, espionage charges can result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
In a related case, China's Ministry of State Security announced in March that a former engineer had been sentenced to death for leaking state secrets to a foreign country.
