Premier Frank Hsieh (
According to the report, the ministry's computers were hit by a Trojan horse attack earlier this week, leading to leaks of its classified files regarding senior officials' overseas travel plans and diplomatic negotiation strategies.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with a delegation from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Hawaii, Hsieh said the report was false.
"None of the ministry's classified files have been stolen or hacked," Hsieh said, adding that it not uncommon for a government-run Web site to be attacked by hackers.
To ensure computer security, Hsieh said, all government agencies, including the Executive Yuan and the ministry, have two mainframe computers, one of which handles general information and the other which deals with classified files that are offline and inaccessible to outside links.
Earlier in the day, MOFA spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said that Chinese hackers have often tried to hack into government computers to steal classified files, but have never succeeded.
He said the attack had been unsuccessful and no classified files had been hijacked.
He said the ministry has adopted several rules to limit hacker attacks, including banning staff members from doing official paperwork online, strengthening staff training in computer use and frequent security checks by computer experts for quick response to unusual signals.
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