The National Security Bureau (NSB) believes that the Chinese military has shifted the emphasis of cyberattacks on Taiwan from government institutions to civilian think tanks, telecommunications service providers, Internet node facilities and traffic signal control systems, according to an NSB report.
The report on the country’s measures to stem attacks by China’s hackers was prepared for lawmakers’ reference ahead of a scheduled legislative hearing on the issue tomorrow that will be attended by NSB, Ministry of National Defense and Criminal Investigation Bureau officials.
Amid the public’s growing reliance on the convenience of online networks, Taiwan’s heavy dependence on technology means threats to Internet security are increasing, the bureau said.
Private think tanks, information technology businesses or outsourced factories and businesses, less well-defended network nodes, factory-grade microcomputer controllers, cloud storage and traffic signal switches may be targeted instead of governmental facilities and embassies, the bureau said in the report.
The bureau also cautioned that social media may be used to get close to personnel in sensitive or key positions to gain access to their computers to further penetrate the nation’s Internet defenses.
The hackers’ goal is to acquire as much control as possible over internal Internet systems before trying to steal or forge information, or paralyze Internet communications, the bureau said in the report.
According to the bureau, since 2002, China has extended its cyberarmy and now there are more than 100,000 people working for it, with Beijing budgeting more than NT$80 million (US$2.71 million) a year for the hackers.
As an agency of national defense, the bureau is a long-term and dedicated target of Chinese hackers and was hit 3.34 million times last year, the bureau said.
However, it said the actions were reconnaissance rather than actual attacks.
About 70,000 malignant attacks — averaging 209 a day — were all successfully averted, the bureau added.
The bureau takes cyberdefense seriously and has allocated funding over the past three years to purchase specialized equipment, such as defensive software systems, as well as prioritizing the limitation and scanning of outgoing documents, the bureau said.
In a special note, the bureau said telecommunication providers should prioritize national defense over financial gains, adding that the providers should try to strengthen and implement Internet security protocols in accordance with government policies.
Meanwhile, the Executive Yuan’s Information Security Office said in a report that among all government units, only the Council of Agriculture and the Executive Yuan itself have met information security standards.
Saying the situation was unsatisfactory, the Executive Yuan said that branches of the government should seek to have every office, branch or unit under their jurisdiction pass the Information Security Management System testing standards to ensure online security.
Additional reporting by CNA
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
RSS