The National Security Council's (NSC) computer system was the target of an attempted e-mail attack Monday, according to a report in the Liberty Times, the Taipei Times' sister newspaper. According to sources, the attempted break-in was discovered yesterday afternoon, and a meeting was immediately called to discuss ways of beefing up network security.
According to the Liberty Times' source, the NSC's computers began acting up yesterday afternoon. An investigation revealed that e-mails containing a "trojan" program had been sent to NSC Deputy Secretary General Ko Cheng-heng's (
Ko is responsible for national security and cooperation with the US. As the e-mails contained the subject line "freedom" and "arms procurement," it is suspected that the hacker had a clear idea of his targets. Sources within the NSC said that such subject lines were intended to dupe the recipients into opening the e-mails and activating the trojan program.
Had the program been activated, the sender would have been able to see the contents of all the files on the NSC's computer system, including CDs and disks used on the system. Given the sensitivity of much of the materials, this e-mail attack, though unsuccessful, is being viewed with the utmost seriousness.
The e-mail was discovered on the computer of Ko's former secretary, who had been transferred to another post in July.
The current secretary had not yet checked e-mail, and as a result, the NSC's system was unaffected.
Similar e-mails were also sent to senior officials in other government departments, although the full extent of the attack is not yet known. Officials said that an investigation was underway.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
RSS