Chinese-linked hackers are targeting the Taiwanese semiconductor industry and investment analysts as part of a string of cyberespionage campaigns, researchers said yesterday.
While hacking to steal data and information about the industry is not new, there is an increase in sustained hacking campaigns from several China-aligned hacking groups, researchers with cybersecurity firm Proofpoint said in a new analysis.
“We’ve seen entities that we hadn’t ever seen being targeted in the past being targeted,” said Mark Kelly, a Proofpoint researcher focused on Chinese-related threats.
Photo: Reuters
The previously unreported hacking campaigns were carried out by at least three distinct Chinese-linked groups primarily between March and last month, with some activity likely ongoing, Proofpoint said.
They come amid rising restrictions by Washington on exports to China of US-designed chips that are often manufactured in Taiwan. China’s chip industry has been working to replace its dwindling supply of sophisticated US chips, especially those used in artificial intelligence.
The researchers declined to identify the hacking targets, but said that approximately 15 to 20 organizations ranging from small businesses, analysts employed by at least one US-headquartered international bank and large global enterprises faced attacks.
Major Taiwanese semiconductor firms include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), MediaTek, United Microelectronics, Nanya Technology and RealTek Semiconductor.
TSMC declined to comment.
MediaTek, UMC, Nanya and RealTek did not respond to requests for comment.
Reuters was unable to identify the specific hacking targets or determine whether any of the efforts were successful.
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said in an e-mail that cyberattacks “are a common threat faced by all countries, China included,” and that Beijing “firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyberattacks and cybercrime — a position that is consistent and clear.”
The activity ranged from one or two e-mails sent as part of the more targeted campaign focused on specific people, to as many as 80 e-mails when trying to gain information from the company at large, Kelly said.
One group targeted semiconductor design, manufacturing and supply-chain organizations using compromised Taiwanese university e-mail accounts to pose as jobseekers and send malware via PDFs with URLs leading to malicious files, or a password-protected archive.
Another targeted financial analysts at major unnamed investment firms focused on the Taiwanese semiconductor industry by posing as a fictitious investment firm and seeking collaboration. Two of the entities are based in Asia, while the third is based in the US.
The FBI declined to comment.
A representative of TeamT5, a cybersecurity firm based in Taiwan, said that it had also seen an increase in e-mails being sent targeting the semiconductor industry tied to a few hacking groups, “but not a wide or general phenomenon.”
Targeting of semiconductors and the supply chain around them “is a persistent threat that has existed for [a] long” time, the representative said, and a “constant interest” for Chinese-related advanced hacking operators.
The groups often target “peripheral suppliers or related industries,” the representative said, such as a situation last month where a China-linked hacking group identified by TeamT5 as “Amoeba” launched a phishing campaign against an unnamed chemical company that plays a critical role in the semiconductor supply chain.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS