Chinese hackers have sent e-mails to the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) local branches and other recipients in the name of the DPP chairman with a trojan horse virus in them, the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau said yesterday.
The bureau said in a press statement that people receiving the e-mails should not open them as confidential information held on the computer might be intercepted by the hackers.
The e-mails were sent to DPP branch offices in Keelung, Tainan County, Pingtung County and Hsinchu City, as well as another 11 individuals, the bureau said. Each e-mail has DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun shown as the sender.
The e-mail, with the title "Chairman Yu: Chinese Communist Party and Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] have teamed up to jeopardize Taiwan," carried content that mentioned China's development, its anti-satellite missiles tests and the KMT's boycott of the DPP government's budget.
They used info@dpp.org.tw, a DPP e-mail address, to send the e-mails, the bureau said.
Warnings have been sent to DPP branches asking them not to open e-mails that show the aforementioned title and e-mail address, the bureau said.
The bureau said the attack seemed unusual and it suspects the motive is probably political and that the Chinese authorities may be involved.
In recent years the Chinese government has attempted to use computer technology to spy on Taiwan, the bureau said.
Super Meng (孟義超), director of the DPP's department of culture and information, said yesterday that the party has learned from the incident and has warned all party staff to look out for computer hacking by the Chinese.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious