Taiwan is the key of the first island chain and at the forefront of international cybersecurity risks, President William Lai (賴清德) said today.
The comments came as part of Lai’s opening remarks at this year’s Cybersec Expo in Taipei, which runs until Thursday.
In recent months, hospitals and companies have been targeted by ransomware attacks, which prosecutors have traced to Chinese hacker groups.
Photo: CNA
As the incursions become increasingly severe, the government has put forward three strategies to increase the nation’s resiliency in the information sphere, Lai said.
No person or company can face these attacks on their own, Lai said, adding that last year saw an average of 2.4 million incursions a day, more than double the year before.
In the past few months, Taiwan has seen several attacks using “Crazy Hunter” ransomware, hitting hospitals, schools and public companies, showing that Taiwan is under increasing threat from Chinese hackers, Lai said.
After Lai took office last year, he established the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee at the Presidential Office, inviting experts from civil society to participate, he said.
The goal is to continue strengthening critical infrastructure, such as telecommunications networks, financial services and transportation, and make the nation a bastion of cybersecurity, Lai said.
The government’s recently announced cybersecurity strategy lays out three goals from this year to 2028, strengthening society-wide cybersecurity, supporting the cybersecurity industry and building emerging technologies in the defense sector, he said.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs is currently amending the Cyber Security Management Act (資通安全管理法) to use a two-pronged approach on improving cybersecurity protection for all industries, Lai added.
The Cybersec Expo brings together more than 400 cybersecurity brands to showcase their latest technologies and solutions.
The three-day event also includes about 300 talks, featuring speakers such as Czech Chamber of Deputies Deputy Speaker Jan Bartošek and US Naval War College assistant professor Jason Vogt, among others.
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