TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The frequency of China's cyberattacks against Taiwan has surged to 2.5 million a day in the run-up of the presidential inauguration, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said Thursday (May 16).
Just after the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections, the nation’s top intelligence agency determined that China launched 1 million cyberattacks each day, per CNA. The surge ahead of the May 20 presidential inauguration is mostly directed against government bodies.
Responding to questions from lawmakers, NSB officials said disinformation and cyberattacks were frequent. Even so, they would continue to monitor Chinese activities and the possibility of loopholes in Taiwan networks.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the authorities were investigating allegations that confidential documents had ended up on a hacker's website. As secret documents at the foreign ministry all bear a watermark or a password, there was no likelihood of insiders having leaked the information, officials said.
During a speech at the CyberSec information security conference Wednesday (May 15), President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) voiced his support for the development of the local cybersecurity sector. He said that as Taiwan was such a frequent target for cyberattacks and disinformation, it would emerge stronger.