The government should accelerate cultivation of cybersecurity talent and comprehensively inspect information security systems across Taiwan to cope with an increasing number of cyberattacks from China, the New Power Party (NPP) said yesterday.
Chinese hackers have stepped up efforts against Taiwan following a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week, attacking government and private Web sites, the party said.
While the cyberattacks show that China is the real destroyer of regional peace and security, they have also exposed loopholes in Taiwan’s cyberdefenses, NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
The Executive Yuan underestimated the Chinese threat when it said that this wave of cyberattacks had yet to reach crisis levels, Chiu said.
Taiwan last year recorded 17 “level 3” information security breaches in the government sector, including a ransomware attack against CPC Corp, Taiwan, which disrupted gas station operations nationwide, he said.
Cyberattacks that began last week have compromised the accuracy of government information by changing information on Web sites and electronic bulletin boards, he said.
“The government should use this opportunity to comprehensively inspect Taiwan’s information security systems and require government agencies to report security breaches involving key infrastructure,” he said. “Experts should be invited to review the reasons for this wave of cyberattacks, gauge its effects and propose ways to enhance safety.”
In addition to banning more Chinese electronic products, the Executive Yuan should stipulate information security standards and encourage reports of weak points in the information security system, Chiu said.
NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said that information security loopholes are mainly caused by a shortage of talent.
The National Audit Office’s 2020 Central Government Final Account Review Report showed that 35 percent of “level A” to “level C” government agencies lacked information security personnel, Wang said.
The Financial Supervisory Commission last year ordered that 2,300 government agencies, as well as publicly listed and over-the-counter firms, must have an executive in charge of information security and one or two information security experts, which has created demand for nearly 10,000 people with cybersecurity training, she said.
Although the Executive Yuan has set a goal of cultivating 350 cybersecurity experts by 2024, there will still be a shortage in the government and the private sector, she said.
The Executive Yuan and the soon-to-be-established Ministry of Digital Affairs must offer more incentives for the government, industry and academia to meet the demand for information security personnel, Wang said.
To close security loopholes in telecommunication systems, Taiwan should consider subsidizing smaller telecoms to replace equipment manufactured by Chinese firms Huawei Inc and ZTE Corp as the US government has done, she said.
In other news, central government agencies have been asked to maintain a high alert and be prepared to activate contingency measures to respond to denial-of-service attacks.
From Thursday to Saturday last week, the number of malicious connections to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Web site peaked at 170 million per minute, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS