Network devices from several Chinese manufacturers are insecure and allow personal information to be leaked, testing commissioned by the Executive Yuan has shown.
A variety of devices and software, including apps, from Chinese, US and South Korean manufacturers that are used by government agencies at the central and local level were subjected to black-box testing — in which the functionality of an application is examined without knowing about its internal structure, an information-security official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The Telecom Technology Center conducted the tests, which simulated cyberattacks, to determine their resilience to the attacks, the official said.
The center said it would send the results of the tests to the manufacturers and retest the affected devices in two months, pending software updates.
The Chinese manufacturers included Xiaomi Corp (小米), Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp (歐珀), Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co (杭州海康威視數字技術) and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co (浙江大華技術).
Information stored on some of the tested Chinese-made products was found to be insecure, the official said.
Of the software that failed to meet national requirements for information security, one app was from Oppo and seven were from Xiaomi, while software and devices from Samsung Electronics Co and Apple Inc passed all their tests, the official said.
Tests on devices from Hikvision and Dahua were aimed at testing the security of their system software, identity-recognition software, authorization mechanisms and their protection of personal information, the official said.
The monitoring software in Hikvision network camera model DFI 6257E and Dahua infrared camera model DH-IPC-HFW1230SN exhibited abnormal behavior, did not have alert functions and received a relatively low score of seven in version 3.1 of the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which indicates security loopholes, the official said.
Both devices also used an insecure encryption system and an insufficiently complex verification system, and neither had shells designed to prevent dismantling, the official said.
The center also conducted tests on drones built by Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies (深圳大疆創新科技有限公司), which supplies the drones used by Taiwan Water Corp (台灣自來水).
Tests on the company’s Mavic Pro, Mavic 2 Pro and Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 models showed signs of signal interference, which appeared in the devices’ logs, the official said.
They all had weak information-security mechanisms, among other problems, the official added.
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS