<\/p>\n
The Center That Tells the Time of China<\/h2>\n
The \u00a0National Time Service Center (NTSC)\u00a0 of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is much more than a laboratory; it is the reference that generates, maintains, and transmits the official time of the country<\/a>. From its network of stations and \u00a0atomic clocks\u00a0, communication, banking, energy, transportation, and even defense systems are synchronized. In addition, it participates in the \u00a0calculation of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)\u00a0 and maintains a deviation of \u00a0less than five nanoseconds\u00a0 from it, placing it among the four most precise timekeeping centers in the world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to information released by CGM (via CGTN)<\/a>, the operation attributed to the NSA began in \u00a0March 2022\u00a0, when a vulnerability in the messaging service of a foreign phone was exploited to access the devices of several NTSC employees. Starting in \u00a0April 2023\u00a0, using stolen credentials, attackers penetrated internal systems. Between \u00a0August 2023\u00a0 and \u00a0June 2024\u00a0, activity intensified with sustained attacks against the organization’s most sensitive networks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to the research<\/a>, the operation was not limited to a specific entry. After violating the messaging application of a foreign smartphone, the attackers took control of the mobile phones of several employees and extracted \u00a0passwords\u00a0 and \u00a0authentication data\u00a0. That information was used to maintain remote access to NTSC servers without detection. Chinese authorities define the intrusion as \u201c\u00a0planned\u00a0, \u00a0structured\u00a0, and \u00a0constantly escalating\u00a0,\u201d reflecting a sustained campaign rather than an isolated incident.<\/p>\n The official story focuses on a highly sensitive target: the NTSC precision ground timing system, identified in communications as \u201c\u00a0high-precision ground-based timing system\u00a0.\u201d According to CMG, the intruders attempted not only to gather information but also to insert \u00a0offensive capabilities\u00a0 that could render that infrastructure useless, with the possibility of \u201c\u00a0paralyzing or destroying\u00a0\u201d its operation.<\/p>\n The analysis reveals that the offensive was not limited to rudimentary techniques. It deployed a \u00a0new platform\u00a0 with 42 specialized cyber weapons and advanced camouflage methods. The attackers utilized \u00a0VPS\u00a0 located in multiple regions to hide their origin, employed fake certificates to gain trust in networks, and successfully bypassed antivirus systems while applying strong encryption to eliminate penetration records. Command and control infrastructure included VPS in Europe, the United States, and Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beijing maintains that NTSC defenses managed to thwart the offensive before the national timekeeping was altered. However, authorities emphasize that the attempt demonstrates how an apparently technical system can become a \u00a0strategic objective\u00a0. The possibility of manipulating the measurement of time\u2014even marginally\u2014opens a scenario of \u00a0unpredictable consequences\u00a0. This intrusion has revived concerns about the security of \u00a0invisible infrastructures\u00a0, those which are unseen, yet crucial for the functioning of the country.<\/p>\nA Prolonged Offensive in Three Phases<\/h2>\n
![\"NTS](\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-center-that-regulates-time.png\"\/)
\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\nObjective: High Precision Timing System<\/h2>\n
Attributing Methods and Camouflage<\/h2>\n
When Time Becomes a Strategic Objective<\/h2>\n
![\"Hangzhou's](\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-center-that-regulates-time.jpeg\"\/)
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