Taiwan is increasingly under threat from cyberattacks, but it still largely relies on imported software and hardware for cybersecurity, information security specialists said on Sunday.
Taiwan has the highest frequency of cyberattacks in Asia due to its geopolitical status, and the situation is being exacerbated by an increasing reliance on cloud-based services and the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), Taipei University of Technology vice president Yang Shih-hsuan (楊士萱) said.
Systex Solutions Corp vice president Chan Yi-cheng (詹伊正) said that Taiwanese start-ups are reluctant to develop their own systems due to the relatively small size of the domestic market and the large amount of capital needed.
The issue must be addressed through policy support, and subsequently through legislation that prohibits Taiwanese firms from using components made in China or elsewhere in the domestic manufacture of cybersecurity systems, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator-at-large Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said.
The government should not leave the development of such crucial technology to private industry alone, and should do more to cultivate local talent, he said.
Chan said the industry is facing a shortage of about 80,000 people, and without government assistance it is unlikely to secure the talent and funding it needs.
The ruling DPP has prioritized the development of the domestic defense industry, and this must include cybersecurity.
The EU’s European External Action Service’s second Report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Threats, published on Jan. 23, highlighted cyberattacks targeting Taiwan from Dec. 1, 2022, to Nov. 30 last year. The attacks listed in the report mostly comprised “non-illegal pattern of behavior that threatens or has the potential to negatively impact values, procedures and political processes.” However, while most cyberattacks originating in China currently are part of cognitive warfare efforts aimed at social disruption in Taiwan, China could try to compromise Taiwan’s critical infrastructure.
A report by NBC News on Aug. 13 last year cited the US’ Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s annual threat assessment report as saying that “China almost certainly is capable of launching cyber attacks that could disrupt critical infrastructure services within the United States.”
Beijing would likely seek do so in the event of an attack on Taiwan, as a means of deterring the US from involvement in the conflict, the news report cited US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency director Jen Easterly as saying.
If Beijing could launch effective cyberattacks on US infrastructure during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, then it would most certainly do the same to Taiwan. Such infrastructure-targeting cyberattacks are no longer hypothetical, after hackers on Nov. 25 last year took control of a part of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa in the US state of Pennsylvania. The hackers entered the system through an Israeli-made programmable logic controller, the Hill reported on Dec. 23.
This is all the more reason for Taiwan to develop its own cybersecurity software and hardware. Taiwanese information security specialist Liu Yan-po (劉彥伯) said that many of the systems in use in Taiwan come from the US or Israel. If hackers from China and elsewhere were capable of compromising US and Israeli systems, they would have a head start during an attack on Taiwan. Locally developed systems could slow down hackers enough for Taiwanese officials to launch response measures or switch to backup systems.
To ensure that Taiwan can remain resilient in the face of cyberthreats, the government should begin funding the development of domestically made cybersecurity systems, and encourage training in the industry through subsidies or guaranteed employment. Experts have predicted that the next major war would be fought in cyberspace, and while events in Ukraine prove that Taiwan must still be prepared for conventional warfare, it must also prepare itself on the digital front — before it is too late.
The Paris Olympics are over and the five-ringed views of the Louvre, Invalides, Eiffel and Versailles just memories. As a diplomatic historian, my thoughts naturally turn to France! The Olympian of world affairs, the creators of “diplomacy,” Cardinal Richelieu and Prince Talleyrand. But sixty years ago, at the 1964 diplomatic games, Team China bested Team France in a battle of wits in “free-style negotiations” over Taiwan. Paris never recovered. To be fair, in Europe of 1963-1964, France was besieged. She had been ousted from her Asian dominions. She had begun her first nuclear weapons tests just as the United States and
Having the title doctor or the letters PhD after your name carries the connotation of having broad knowledge. In reality, while people with doctoral degrees often possess highly specialized expertise and might be held in high esteem among their peers, they are likely virtually unknown to the general public. In Taiwan, people with doctorates are common, while probably fewer than one out of 100 of them could truly make a name for themselves. Of course, there are exceptions. Those who gain media exposure can easily become well-known, especially if they are involved in politics. However, many fail to live up to
For the past few weeks, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and its Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) have been embroiled in a series of scandals related to irregularities in their presidential campaign financial reporting. These scandals continue to expand as more evidence surfaces, raising more questions about the party’s financial propriety and competency. These irregularities include unusually high spending, allegedly accepting donations from abroad, reporting 97.3 percent of personal donations as “cash,” making large payments to marketing firms with close ties to the party and accounting errors. When the financial irregularities were first reported, the party blamed it on “arbitrary misconduct” by
Over the past few years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a visible change in the EU’s approach to Taiwan. I call this phenomenon European hype about Taiwan. The change is noticeable at both the EU and member-state levels, with parliaments and Central Europe leading the way. The best example is the fact that Taiwan is finally mentioned in various EU documents (a real novelty compared with the past 30 years), in addition to statements by European politicians, an increase in bilateral contacts, a growing awareness of Taiwan’s importance and its contribution not only to European prosperity, but