Taiwan: 2.6 million cyberattacks from China on infrastructure – every day
Last year, Taiwan's intelligence service counted an average of 2.6 million Chinese cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure every day.
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In the past year, Taiwan's critical infrastructure was subjected to an average of 2.63 million cyberattacks per day from China. This was announced by the intelligence service NSB, which stated that this represents a 6 percent increase compared to the previous year. The attacks primarily affected administration, energy, communication and transmission, transport, emergency facilities and hospitals, water, finance, science, industry, and food production. Attacks on the energy sector and hospitals have increased particularly sharply, the National Security Bureau (國家安全局) further writes.
Attack intensity allegedly not random
As the intelligence service NSB further explains, there was a "certain correlation" between the cyberattacks and large-scale exercises by the Chinese army in the waters around Taiwan. Cyberattacks also intensified during important ceremonies in Taiwan. By this, the NSB means, for example, the publication of important government statements and visits by high-ranking representatives of Taiwan. The cyberattacks peaked on the first anniversary of the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te, who has been leading the country since May 20, 2024.
The intelligence service categorizes the cyberattacks into four main areas: Firstly, those responsible attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in hardware and software. More than half of the attacks fall into this category, and many are likely automated. In addition, there are DDoS attacks, which require significantly less expertise. Furthermore, the NSB mentions social engineering attempts and supply chain attacks. The intelligence service also counted 20 ransomware attacks on medical facilities, where data was encrypted or stolen.
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China considers Taiwan to be part of its own territory and officially strives for "reunification." The so-called Taiwan conflict has recently intensified due to tensions between China and the USA, which act as Taiwan's protective power. Taiwan sees its own semiconductor industry, on which the world and China are fundamentally dependent, as an important guarantor of its independence. A year and a half ago, the Dutch company ASML already warned that it can disable the most modern lithography systems for semiconductor production remotely. This was likely intended as a warning to the People's Republic.
(mho)
