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.
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