The Presidential Office, the ministries of health and welfare, foreign affairs and the Interior, as well as the Financial Supervisory Commission, were the government agencies most targeted by hackers last year, a high-level government source said.
The government classifies information security incidents into four levels based on their severity, with level 1 being the lightest and level 4 being the most severe.
A level 1 incident involves temporarily disabling or defacing a Web page, while level 2 and level 3 incidents refer to crashing the secondary and the main system respectively.
Photo: Lin Yen-tung, Taipei Times
Taiwan has not had a level 4 incident, which would be when the core systems of more than one government agency crash, and state secrets are stolen.
Last year, 151 incidents were reported by ministries and agencies overseen by the Executive Yuan — 116 level 1 incidents, 31 level 2 incidents and four level 3 incidents — government data showed.
Malware was found last year in the health ministry’s core information security system, which had apparently been implanted to steal information on Taiwanese covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI) program, a senior government official said on condition of anonymity.
“Fortunately, we were able to stop the level 3 attack before the NHI information could be snatched,” the official said, adding that Chinese hackers were believed to be behind the attack.
The foreign ministry, the interior ministry and the commission all experienced a level 3 attack last year, the official said.
The attack on the foreign ministry targeted the travel information of Taiwanese registered with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, while the interior ministry’s automatic immigration clearance system at the nation’s airports was hit, the official said.
Hackers targeting the commission stole NT$1.8 billion (US$60.27 million at the current exchange rate) from Far Eastern International Bank (遠東商銀), they said.
The Presidential Office was targeted seven times — six at level 1 and one at level 2.
The cyberattacks targeting its information security system had a low success rate thanks to its extensive protection measures, they said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old