The National Police Administration (NPA) yesterday denied reports that its computer system had been attacked by Chinese hackers and classified information stolen. \n"Access to our classified information requires several usernames and passwords. It has not been hacked or stolen by anybody," said Yang Chi-lin (楊麒麟), director of the NPA's Information Technology Department. \nYang said that all the classified information was stored in a closed computer network that could not be accessed through the Internet. \nThe classified information held on the NPA's computers includes documents and records such as vehicle registration information, information on vehicle owners and criminal records, Yang said. The only way to access the system and steal information is to do so from a terminal inside the NPA. \nTwo Chinese-language news-papers reported yesterday that several unidentified Chinese hackers from Hubei Province began attacking the NPA's computer network and database in April. \nYang denied that classified information had been accessed. \n"I can assure you that our national security was not breached and privacy was not invaded," he said. \nAccording to the reports, special agents from the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation spent three months identifying and locating the hackers and discovered that they were Chinese government officials. \nThe NPA hired at least three local software companies to help rebuild the firewalls protecting its systems, the reports said. \nHowever, the Bureau of Investigation's Public Relations Department denied the reports. \n"We have never heard of such a thing and have never investigated or tried to locate any Chinese hackers. In addition, if somebody hacks government computer systems and breaches national security, the police will also investigate," it said in a press release. \nIn response to questions about the "Blaster" virus that has infected more than 120,000 computers worldwide, Yang said that the NPA's computer system was protected by the "McAfee 4286" anti-virus program. \n"Protecting our system from being attacked by hackers or computer viruses has always been our priority. And I can proudly say that my co-workers have performed well," Yang said.
‘LONE WOLF’: The suspect was difficult to locate, as he did not use a cellphone, did not contact family and often lived in abandoned sites or parks, police said Taipei police on Thursday morning arrested a man accused of numerous burglaries and at least 14 incidents of sexual assault spanning more than 20 years, in what might be the nation’s most notorious crime spree in recent years. Sixty-year-old Tu Ming-lang (涂明朗) — who was yesterday placed in judicial detention, after a judge determined he was a flight risk without a fixed address — faces multiple charges of sexual assault and burglary, police said. A task force comprised of various law enforcement agencies arrested Tu as part of an investigation into an April 28 burglary in Daan District (大安), in which a
The majority of parents surveyed in northern Taiwan favor the suspension of all on-site classes at schools from the junior-high level and below amid a surge in domestic COVID-19 infections, parent groups said yesterday. About 84.4 percent of respondents in a survey of 2,912 parents in northern Taiwan, where the outbreak is the most serious, said they supported suspending classes, the Action Alliance on Basic Education, the Taiwan Parents Protect Women and Children Association, and the Taiwan Love Children Association said. The groups distributed questionnaires to parents in New Taipei City, Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan and Hsinchu city and county from Saturday morning
ASEAN BATTLEGROUND: Japan and Australia could be drawn into Pacific tensions as China sets its sights on the Diaoyutai Islands and further beyond the first island chain Tensions between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific region are expected to intensify, the National Security Bureau and Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, recommending that Taiwan continue to emphasize its shared values and interests to encourage resistance to Chinese aggression. US commitments in the Indo-Pacific region are expected to continue unabated despite the war in Ukraine, as Beijing takes advantage of the conflict to expand its influence in the region, the agencies said in reports delivered to the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Sunday, ahead of a hearing yesterday on regional developments and trends. Although Russia’s invasion of
ONLINE REPORT: Confirmed cases filling out the online contact tracing report can check a box to indicate that a close contact had received a booster dose, an official said The guidelines for diagnosing COVID-19 have been revised to include people aged 65 or older who test positive with a rapid test that is confirmed by a healthcare worker, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 65,794 new local infections. The CECC had first announced the change on Monday, before publishing the new guidelines. Starting today, people aged 65 or older, regardless of whether they are undergoing home quarantine, home isolation or self-disease prevention, can be classified as a confirmed COVID-19 case by a healthcare professional, based on a positive result from an antigen rapid test, said
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