The National Security Department last week issued a report saying that the US NSA spent two years attacking our national timing center and the result was a pot. I usually love to think about these international news, but behind this incident, far more than "hacker attack" four words so simple.

To be clear, the national timing center is not usually engaged in research. It is responsible for generating "Beijing time", our mobile phone synchronization, grid scheduling, high-speed rail operation, even stock trading timestamp, all pointing to it. It is not exaggerated to say it is the country's "heart of time".NSA this attack is divided into two phases, first in 2022 through mobile phone vulnerabilities to target attack - attention, not blind scan, is for staff overseas brand mobile phones. by August 2023, directly thrown into 42 custom weapons, including the "logic bomb" that can bomb the system. This is not anything ordinary hackers can do, the standard is the cyber war.

But the interesting thing is, we not only prevented, but also completed the reverse backdrop. There is a controversial point behind this: why the U.S. is looking at "time" to beat? When I check the data, I saw that in 2024 the New York Times has an article mentioned that China has surpassed the U.S. in the backup timing system. Of course, it is without GPS, we can also have high-precision timing nationwide. This technology worldwide only the U.S. has, and we are in the opposite direction on some indicators. So someone guessed that the U.S. can not lose? competition is just rolling the table?

What's even more magical is the follow-up. This year, the United States set up a "Salt Typhoon" hacker organization, which sanctioned individuals in Shanghai for a while and offered a reward of 10 million dollars for a while, but did not produce decent evidence from beginning to end. Compare the Chinese notification: the attack time, weapon name and springboard path are clearly written; The United States only has vague expressions such as "I feel it's you" and "it may be related". This inevitably makes people wonder: Do you want to throw the pot when you mess up? Can this double-standard operation of "I violate the rules and I am reasonable" really fool people internationally? Welcome to shoot bricks in the comment section.

I personally think this reflects a trend: technological hegemony is beginning to loosen. In the past, the United States did whatever it wanted in cyberspace, but now it is not only kicked, but also publicly slapped in the face. But there is a second point of contention here: Some people are worried that a counterattack will lead to an escalation of cyber conflicts? I feel that maintaining critical infrastructure is a bottom-line issue, not a choice question. Just like someone broke into your door, you can't pretend not to see it.

The third point of controversy is closer to life: is it safe to use foreign-branded phones? the notification mentioned that the NSA used mobile phone vulnerability attacks. Although the specific brands have no name, but as an ordinary user, I am inevitably confused.

Finally, to be honest, technological competition should be a fair race, not street battles and assassinations. There is an old saying in China: "Punch with one punch, lest hundreds of punches come." Only when the ability is in place can the person who lifts the table not dare to reach out. This incident is a symbol-cyberspace, not someone's backyard.

Why are the United States so anxious about the ¡°time system¡±?