A cybersecurity bill drafted by the Cabinet aimed at countering network attacks and protecting the nation’s sensitive information would need at least an additional 1,000 qualified information security specialists to implement effectively, Cabinet sources said.
The reading of the information security management draft bill has been postponed until the next session of the legislature to address the personnel shortage and other issues.
Various higher-level departments under the purview of the Cabinet have reported that their information-security staff are part-time and of an insufficient quantity to meet the changes to their roles proposed in the bill, sources said.
Several regional government departments have reported that their increased personnel needs would be even more pressing, as they only employ one or two cybersecurity staff, the sources said.
National Development Council Director Chien Hung-wei (簡宏偉) yesterday said that his agency is looking at short-term solutions to the shortfall, such as outsourcing work or hiring contractors.
In the long term the government would institute an information-security training program for government staff, he said.
The Cabinet is assessing information-security personnel needs at both central and regional levels, and plans to release a short and mid-term strategic plan once a complete assessment has been made, he said.
The government’s information-security needs cannot be solved by throwing money at the problem, as the work is very complex and requires talented professional personnel, academics said.
The government must be resolute in its execution of an information-security program, they said.
The program should not be executed from a management perspective, National Cheng Kung University Department of Electrical Engineering professor Lee Chung-hsien (李忠憲) said, adding that the bill’s name should be changed to reflect its aim of “promoting” rather than “managing” information security.
The aim of the bill should be to assist organizations with the protection of sensitive data, Lee said, adding that managing organizations and penalizing those that leak data are only aspects of the overall task.
The government must strengthen organizations’ abilities to carry out protection of sensitive information, Lee said, adding that it should be flexible in its employment of qualified personnel.
The government must proceed on the basis of established standards and regulations for information security, Lee said, adding that a special task force is needed to “put out fires” when network attacks occur.
The government should act to pass the bill quickly to show its determination on the issue and a clause could be added to allow relevant organizations time to adequately prepare, National Chiao Tung University computer science professor Lin Ying-ta (林盈達) said.
Solving the issue would require the senior officials of all relevant organizations to recognize the seriousness of protecting their information, National Taiwan University electrical engineering professor Lin Tsung-nan (林宗男) said.
The organizations should solve the staff shortfall by hiring from within their own ranks, Lin said, adding that the government must show its resolve by allocating an appropriate budget.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS