The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Web site has come under attack from cyberspies seeking to profile visitors to the site, part of a campaign to get information about the party’s policies following its election victory in January, according to a US cybersecurity researcher.
On at least two separate occasions in April, the DPP’s Web site redirected visitors to a spoof online address that hosted a malicious script. That script likely profiled them and selected candidates for additional cyberattacks, according to research by security company FireEye Inc, which said in a statement it had not attributed the operation to a specific group.
FireEye said that it had previously detected China-based cyberespionage groups using the spoof Web site tool and that its use against Taiwanese political targets suggests the actors behind the DPP attacks are supported by Chinese sponsors.
“Taiwan’s public and private sector need to bring together the technology, expertise and threat intelligence to detect and then respond to advanced cyberattacks,” said Michael Chue, general manager for the Greater China region at FireEye.
The DPP’s site was first compromised on April 7 and its administrators appeared to fix it on April 8, according to FireEye.
On April 13, it came under attack again, suggesting “a threat group might be continually monitoring the site due to its importance as a strategic espionage target,” FireEye said.
The attack was again repelled, it added.
FireEye said it expects a sustained hacking campaign against DPP politicians and associated organizations.
It is probable that international non-governmental organizations, diplomatic agencies and other global entities could also be affected by this campaign, it said.
DPP spokesman Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) declined to comment on the April incidents reported by FireEye, but said that the party’s Web site has not experienced any “major systematic attacks” recently.
The DPP is not a customer of FireEye’s, he said.
FireEye said its intelligence team noticed the compromised Web site and that the company had not been hired by the DPP to investigate the attacks.
The DPP, along with local news organizations, came under attack in the lead-up to January’s elections, FireEye said in December last year.
Individual party members also said they had evidence that their e-mail accounts had been hacked.
FireEye, based in California, provides malware and network-threat protection systems. After its Mandiant division alleged in 2013 that China’s military might be behind a group that hacked at least 141 companies worldwide since 2006, the US issued indictments against five military officials who were purported to be members of that group.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft