TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Network Information Center unveiled strategies to combat cyberattacks Thursday at its TWNIC Engagement Forum.

The event, one of the nation's largest internet gatherings, was held Tuesday through Thursday at the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center. Topics covered included internet identifiers, internet governance, and cybersecurity.

Last year, the center collaborated with NetBeacon Institute, which offers services to help the internet community detect and report Domain Name System (DNS) abuse. The partnership revealed monthly reports of phishing and malware incidents involving ".tw" domains ranged between five and 30 cases from May 2022 to January, per CNA.

In contrast, global DNS abuse reports peaked at around 45,000 cases per month during the same period. The center said the data underscores the high level of cybersecurity maintained by ".tw" domain registrations.

The center added that it has established a cybersecurity intelligence integration system and a mechanism for daily monitoring of online security threats. It is also collaborating with international organizations and domestic cybersecurity agencies to track instances of DNS abuse.

Phishing attacks are recognized as the most common form of domain name abuse. In Taiwan, targets of domain name abuse attacks were primarily in the financial and insurance sectors (62.65%), followed by e-commerce platforms (16.45%) and government agencies (5.25%), the center said.

The public is encouraged to report phishing websites to the center. Upon receiving a report, the organization will investigate the domain's registration information and forward the phishing site details to relevant government authorities based on its IP address location.

Last year, the center received more than 33,000 phishing site reports. The center said that once a case of DNS abuse is identified, it acts following government policies to block the domain and works with internet service providers to prevent access to the source.

Additionally, the center developed a “Green Domain” mechanism, which involves identity verification for businesses to ensure domain name credibility. It also offers a Registry Lock service to prevent unauthorized changes to domain registrations.

According to Check Point Software Technologies, the average number of weekly cyberattacks worldwide reached 1,673 last year, a 44% increase compared to 2023. Taiwan experienced an average of 3,993 cyberattacks per week, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region.