The number of Chinese cyberattacks targeting Ministry of Foreign Affairs computer systems last year was about 39 times greater than the number of attacks in 2018, a source said on Monday.
There were an average of 2,100 attacks daily last year, and nearly 770,000 attacks in total, up from about 20,000 attacks in 2018, the source said, adding that information security officials have expressed serious concern about the situation.
Attacks have also become more sophisticated, they said.
“Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began more closely monitoring all probes and scans of its systems, taking the stance that it would rather risk erroneously terminating a legitimate connection than overlooking a genuine attack,” the source said.
Its allocation of resources for tackling cyberattacks was the reason the ministry’s annual budget was increased last year, they said.
Its request of NT$297.59 million (US$10.43 million) for the “management of information security” was used to upgrade computer systems, including network equipment; lease a dedicated transnational backbone network; and establish an information security monitoring center, the source said.
Of the attacks the monitoring center detected last year, about 410,000 were scans and probes of the ministry’s computers and close to 150,000 were attempts to break into its e-mail system, they said.
“Since adjusting its approach to cyberattacks last year, the ministry is now analyzing every hacking attempt, and using that information to help it block such attempts more quickly,” the source said.
“This approach requires more effort, but the ministry is able to stop attacks before sensitive information is compromised,” they said.
The ministry is one of the most attacked government bodies, second only to the Presidential Office.
The ministry in the past few years has been encouraging Taiwanese to register personal information with it when traveling abroad, so that it can more easily provide consular assistance in emergency situations, the source said, adding that the information would be securely transmitted to its representative office in the traveler’s destination country.
However, Chinese hackers broke into the ministry’s secure e-mail system in 2017, stealing the personal information about 10,000 Taiwanese.
After the incident, the ministry secured its e-mail system, and has not experienced a similar incident since, the source said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS