A Ministry of National Defense official yesterday denied knowledge of an alleged Taiwanese spy who had reportedly hacked into sensitive government computer systems in China.
China's state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday that Chinese officials were looking for Lee Fang-jung (李芳榮), said to be an agent of Taiwan's military intelligence who planted "Trojan" horse programs in computer systems belonging to unnamed economic, military and diplomatic institutions to steal classified information.
A "Trojan" horse program gives a user remote access to the contents of his target's computer.
The Global Times attributed its information to an unidentified official in a "related" Chinese department. It did not identify the department, but the implication was that it was part of the Chinese intelligence apparatus.
The newspaper said Lee was in Taiwan, but that he had previously been in Moscow, where he might have carried out the hacking.
In response, Vice Minister of National Defense Lin Chen-yi (
"I have no information about the issue so I would not like to comment on it," Lin said.
"Even if it were true, we are not worried because the Military Intelligence Bureau has its own mechanisms to protect its agents," Lin said.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office said yesterday it had taken note of the news report and was collating additional details on the affair.
"We have noticed related reports," office spokesman Yang Yi (楊毅) said. "For years, Taiwanese intelligence agencies have stolen secret network information on a broad scale from the mainland and caused vile consequences."
In Taipei, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Sandy Yen (
"The Chinese government actually has a `hacking department,' and it is the most well-organized hacking organization in the world. While they are stealing all kinds of intelligence and high-tech secrets from other countries, how can they complain when their own secrets are stolen?" Yen said.
Yen said that many countries had complained about the activities of Chinese hackers. Her research showed that one-third of the world's computer viruses were created by Chinese hackers.
China recently came under fire from Germany, Britain and the US for alleged hacking activities of its own. Unidentified officials in the three countries say government and military networks there have been broken into by hackers backed by the Chinese army.
"Under the circumstances, how can they blame other people for stealing their secrets or damaging their databases by using the same methods?" Yen said.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
RSS