A new draft cybersecurity bill that aims to protect sensitive government information is to rank government agencies on a three-tier system according to the data they handle, sources said.
A total of 123 key government institutions, including the Presidential Office, the National Security Council, the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of National Defense and the National Security Bureau, have been identified by the Executive Yuan as tier-A organizations in terms of information security interests, a source who declined to be named said.
The institutions would be required to conform to semiannual inspections, as well as conduct cyberattack response drills at least once a year.
While relations between China and Taiwan seemingly thawed during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) tenure, former premier Simon Chang (張善政) had previously acknowledged that attacks on Taiwan’s computer systems by Chinese hackers were still frequent at that time.
The Democratic Progressive Party resolved to upgrade computer security measures at government organizations after it took power in May and learned of the frequency of cyberattacks, sources said.
The government sees information security as synonymous with national security and places great importance on its protection, sources said, adding that the Executive Yuan earlier this year established the Department of Cybersecurity, which is tasked with implementing its draft bill on information security.
The Executive Yuan is expected to approve the proposed bill next month, the sources said, adding that all central and divisional government organizations and associated enterprises will be ranked as tier A, B or C according to the level of sensitivity of the information they handle, with tier A denoting the highest level of sensitivity and C the lowest.
Some ostensibly less at-risk organizations such as the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Directorate-General of Highways and the Central Weather Bureau would be classified as tier A given the importance the information they work with, sources said.
The government computer systems of the six special municipalities — Taipei, New Taipei City, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, Taichung and Tainan — would also fall under tier-A regulations due to their high populations, sources said.
The tier-B classification would cover organizations working with less sensitive information such as the National Archives Administration, the Bureau of Cultural Affairs and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The remaining 6,310 government organizations, such as Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc and state-run Matsu Daily News would fall under tier C, sources said.
Tier-A core computer systems would all require authentication for data access and operators would need to be certified, sources said, adding that at tier-B organizations only two core systems where sensitive data is kept would require authentication for access.
Tier-C organizations would determine themselves what information requires authentication to retrieve, the sources said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS