By Shannon Tiezzi
Taiwan’s science and technology minister said Taipei is the target of almost daily cyber attacks from the mainland.
Taiwan has become the latest to accuse China of launching cyberattacks, following complaints from Canada and the United States. Agence France-Presse (via Defense News) reports that Simon Chang, Taiwan’s science and technology minister, told an interviewer that “Chinese cyberwar units have been engaging with Taiwan units almost every day, with some severe attacks every few months.”
Cyberattacks from China are especially worrying for Taiwan, which is constantly evaluating its political and security position vis-à-vis the mainland. Chang specifically noted that “many of the attacks were aimed at stealing relevant information for use in negotiations with Taiwan,” raising concerns that China is seeking leverage over what it considers a breakaway province. According to Taipei Times, Chang said the attacks, which occur almost daily, often target confidential information on Taipei’s bottom line for cross-strait negotiations.
Chang also said that China often uses Taiwan as an experimental target for new hacking techniques, something Reuters noted back in 2013. Reuters cited Taiwanese IT experts who said China’s cyberattacks against the United States were often tested first against Taiwan. Many of the attacks are relatively simple “phishing” attempts, where malware is sent via email to government employees. Reuters cited estimates that “thousands of Taiwanese high-level government employees receive as many as 20 to 30 of these emails a month.” Like other countries, Taiwan’s cyber defense experts have noted that the attacks take place during normal Chinese business hours — including days off for Chinese national holidays.
Read the full story at The Diplomat