China alleges US cyber espionage during the Asian Winter Games, names 3 NSA agents

Chinese technical teams reported detecting “unknown encrypted data packets” transmitted to specific devices running Microsoft Windows operating systems within the province. These packets were allegedly attempts to “activate or trigger pre-implanted backdoors in the Windows systems,” according to Xinhua.

A deliberate and coordinated campaign

The NCVERC report revealed that between January 26 and February 14, 2025, the Games’ information systems were struck by 270,167 attacks from abroad, with activity peaking on February 8, the day after the event’s formal opening. Of these, 170,864 attacks (63.24%) originated from US-based IP addresses.

The cyber onslaught primarily targeted the event’s Information Service System, Arrival and Departure Management System, and Charging Card System. Attacks included arbitrary file read vulnerabilities, SQL injection, and spoofed HTTP headers, as well as mass port scans and vulnerability exploitation, the report stated.