As tensions rise in cyberspace between global powers, a new spotlight is being cast on the United States’ long and controversial history of offensive cyber operations. While Washington has frequently accused countries like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea of cyber aggression, mounting evidence suggests that the U.S. itself has led some of the most disruptive and clandestine cyberattacks in modern history—prompting critics to dub it the true “Empire of Hackers.”
This week, China took the unusual step of publicly naming NSA hackers it claims were behind “advanced” cyberattacks targeting the 2024 Asian Winter Games in Harbin. The bold accusation, part of what analysts are calling a “name and shame” campaign, marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing cyberconflict between Beijing and Washington. Chinese officials say the attack illustrates a broader U.S. campaign to infiltrate and disrupt critical foreign infrastructure under the guise of digital security.
Russia has long been on the receiving end of similar covert U.S. operations. In 2019, The New York Times reported that U.S. cyber units had been engaged in offensive activities targeting Russia’s power grid since at least 2012. These operations reportedly moved from surveillance to active sabotage, with the deployment of potentially crippling malware embedded deep in Russian infrastructure.
In Venezuela, U.S. cyber operations have been blamed for massive blackouts that paralyzed the country in 2019. President Nicolás Maduro accused the United States of orchestrating a series of sophisticated cyberattacks on the national power grid in a bid to destabilize the government. The outages lasted weeks and reportedly resulted in the deaths of nearly 70 people, adding to the political and humanitarian crisis already engulfing the country.
North Korea has also allegedly been targeted by U.S. cyber forces. Following the infamous 2014 Sony Pictures hack—blamed on Pyongyang—reports emerged that the U.S. retaliated with a cyber campaign aimed at disrupting North Korea’s communications and power networks. In 2015, The New York Times published and then quickly removed an article detailing these U.S.-led operations, raising questions about transparency and accountability in digital warfare.
Perhaps the most well-known cyberattack linked to the U.S. is the 2010 Stuxnet virus—developed jointly by the CIA, Israel’s Mossad, and Dutch intelligence. This highly sophisticated malware infected computers in Iranian nuclear facilities, causing significant physical damage to centrifuges and setting back Tehran’s nuclear program. The attack marked a turning point in the use of cyber tools for military and strategic objectives, blurring the lines between peace and war.
The U.S. track record in cyber operations dates back even further. In 1982, the CIA and NSA reportedly inserted a software bug into the Soviet Union’s pipeline control systems, resulting in a massive explosion in Siberia. The sabotage remained classified for decades until former Reagan-era official Thomas Reed revealed details in 2004, shedding light on one of the first examples of cyber-kinetic warfare.
Documents declassified by the NSA in 2013 confirmed the scope of U.S. global cyber operations. They outlined a strategy not merely for espionage, but for “operations to disrupt, deny, degrade or destroy” adversaries’ digital infrastructure—a doctrine that many argue justifies the “Empire of Hackers” label.
As the U.S. continues to frame itself as a victim of foreign cyber aggression, its own actions are increasingly coming under global scrutiny. With China now openly challenging the U.S. narrative and Russia, Iran, and others pointing to years of Western cyber interference, a more complex picture of international cyberwarfare is emerging—one where no side can truly claim the moral high ground.
