Cyberattacks from China on government computers are becoming more difficult to detect, as hackers increasingly use online platforms, such as search engines, to break into systems, a source close to government discussions said.
While the frequency of attacks by China’s cyberarmy has declined, the success rate of such incursions is rising, the source said.
“Taiwan’s official departments suffer from hundreds of successful Internet attacks each year, more than half of which come from assaults by China’s cyberarmy,” said the person, who is not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be identified.
China has denied accusations of engaging in cyberwarfare or hacking and has said that it is itself one of the world’s biggest victims of such incidents.
Neither China’s Taiwan Affairs Office nor the Chinese Cyberspace Administration immediately responded to a request for comment.
The alleged cyberattacks come as Beijing has been increasing diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.
The source said hackers are adopting new techniques to conceal their activities.
“They frequently go through online platforms such as Google and blogs to hide and give investigators the impression that they are a normal platform or tool so that the investigators ignore background actions,” the person said.
Government agencies face “frequent cyberattacks and scanning of their vulnerabilities, with the attack volume reaching 10 million a month,” the source said.
Most attacks targeted non-core service systems, were low-level in nature and included activities such as changing Web sites and tampering with information, but there have also been more serious attacks on core systems, they said.
The government has evidence that some of the attacks targeted agencies and their Web sites by intruding into servers and stealing account passwords, the source added.
The nation’s representative offices abroad have also been targeted using methods such as taking screen snapshots, keylogging and unpacking related information, the source said.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in 2016, China’s hostility toward Taiwan has increased. Analysts expect cyberattacks will continue to cause a headache for the government.
“Taiwan has very good cyberdefense and investigation skills and capacity. However, under such a huge number of attacks and the special relationship across the Strait, it is really difficult to prevent 100 percent of the attacks,” said Lennon Chang, a senior lecturer in criminology at Monash University in Melbourne.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS