Government agencies intercepted 64,806 cyberattacks in May, the highest monthly total in about a year, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said on Saturday.
In its monthly report on cybersecurity incidents, the ministry attributed the increase in interceptions to “successful simulated attacks” during a cyberdefense exercise held in May.
However, the ministry also called for sustained vigilance, given that reports of cybersecurity incidents received by the ministry from government officials reached 151 in September last year.
Photo: Reuters
This was the highest single-month total since the 224 reported in August 2022, when then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the ministry said.
The report identified several types of discernible threats, with information gathering comprising 51 percent of incidents, primarily through techniques like scanning, probing and social engineering attacks.
Intrusion attempts accounted for 17 percent, focusing on unauthorized access attempts to computer systems, followed by intrusion attacks at 15 percent, which often involve unauthorized access to systems, or acquiring system and user privileges.
Taiwan faces continuous foreign cyberattacks due to its unique political and economic situation, ministry officials said.
During critical periods such as high-level political visits and major elections, abnormal network traffic patterns are observed, they said.
Cybersecurity monitoring and intelligence sharing are increased during these events to swiftly respond to emergencies and prioritize protection measures for collective defense, they added.
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