An alleged holder of classified Taiwanese intelligence files yesterday said they had sold the first batch and announced a second set of documents for sale.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Monday reported that an advertisement for confidential government documents had been published on the breached.vc forum.
In the post made on Wednesday last week, the seller said that they were offering 10 gigabytes of data allegedly taken from the nation’s intelligence agencies for US$150,000, with more available “if u have enough money.”
Photo: screen grab from the breached.vc Web site
They said that the documents included descriptions of the work, hobbies, politics and personalities of the targeted people.
They again posted on the forum early yesterday, saying that they had already sold the first batch and would sell another 6 gigabyte set of documents for “less than” US$100,000.
According to examples in the post, the new set of documents allegedly contains information on Taiwanese intelligence units abroad, the movements of other nations’ diplomats, regular intelligence reports and information on military exercises with other nations.
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau on Monday said it was investigating the case.
Yesterday, it said it was aware of recent developments, but declined to comment as the investigation is ongoing.
The National Security Bureau and the Ministry of National Defense also declined to comment.
A retired military officer said that this case had a different motive than others involving intelligence trading, which tend to be quieter and on a smaller scale.
By insinuating that such intelligence is easy to obtain, this high-profile sale was likely intended to cast doubt on Taiwan’s cybersecurity and embarrass the government, retired air force lieutenant general Chang Yen-ting (張延廷) said yesterday.
As such, investigators should proceed in a low-key manner, he said.
Chang said that foreign hackers could be responsible, as the relatively small monetary reward would not have been worth the risk for an intelligence officer.
The case comes around the same time as other alleged leaks, including of National Health Insurance, China Airlines and household registration data.
These leaks do not just involve national security or intelligence information, showing that many sectors are at risk, Chang said, calling on relevant units to bolster their defenses.
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