Taiwan was the No. 1 target of cyberattacks in the world during the first quarter of this year, IT security company Check Point said yesterday.
The average number of weekly cyberattacks globally per organization rose 7 percent from a year earlier to 1,248 during the first quarter, targeting government agencies, private firms and education institutions, the company said.
However,the number of weekly cyberattacks against Taiwan per organization averaged 3,250 over the period, 2.6 times the global average, it said.
Photo: Reuters
Globally, academic institutions, universities and research centers were the No. 1 targets, coming under 2,507 cyberattacks per week on average, an increase of 15 percent from a year earlier, it said.
The trend points to the vulnerability of such institutions amid online teaching and videoconferencing, it said, adding that most of them lack the IT competency for data protection.
They can become easy targets when expanding their network, as hackers can target wireless access point stations, it said.
The No. 2 target of cyberattacks globally were government agencies and military branches, which came under 1,725 attacks per week on average, an increase of 3 percent annually, the company said.
Hospitals and healthcare institutions were targeted 1,684 times per week on average, up 22 percent annually, while retailers were attacked 1,079 per week on average, up 49 percent from a year earlier, Check Point said.
By region, African countries experienced the most attacks globally at 1,983 per week on average, down 2 percent from a year earlier, the report said.
Countries in the Asia-Pacific region came under 1,835 attacks per week on average, up 16 percent, while North American countries sustained an average of 950 attacks per week, an increase of 9 percent from a year earlier.
Check Point urged cybersecurity agencies to remain vigilant at all times, initiate new policies, and eliminate potential cybersecurity loopholes and breach points.
They should apply integrated solutions for end-to-end preventive controls against hackers using the latest technology, the company said.
Hackers might use remote access of phishing e-mails to mount attacks, it said, urging cybersecurity units to make sure their IT frameworks adopt “network segmentation” to confine attacks to a limited section of their network.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS