BEIJING: Three U.S. citizens suspected of malicious hacking operations during the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin City, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, are now on a wanted list, the city’s public security bureau disclosed on Tuesday.
Katheryn Wilson, Robert Snelling and Stephen Johnson were involved in large-scale cyberattacks orchestrated by the Office of Tailored Access Operations (TAO), an office affiliated with the U.S. National Security Agency, the bureau said in a statement posted on its official Weibo account.
The investigation found that the three “secret agents” repeatedly carried out cyberattacks on China’s critical information infrastructure and enterprises. It added that TAO had also been identified as the mastermind behind a 2022 cyberattack on a leading Chinese aviation university.
When asked to comment on the issue, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the actions, stressing that China will continue to take necessary steps to safeguard its cybersecurity.
This move is egregious, as it severely endangers the security of China’s critical information infrastructure, national defense, finance, society, production and citizens’ personal information, ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily news briefing.
Lin said China had expressed concerns to the U.S. through various channels over its cyberattacks on key Chinese infrastructure.
He urged the U.S. to adopt a responsible attitude towards cybersecurity, cease all attacks – including cyberattacks – and stop making baseless accusations against China.
