Image Credit: Taiwan News
Taiwan’s public and private websites were recently hit by cyber attacks, but quick recoveries were made with no significant damage reported, according to the Ministry of Digital Affairs on Saturday (14 September). The attacks, believed to be carried out by pro-Russian groups, involved 45 denial of service (DoS) incidents aimed at temporarily disrupting access to targeted sites.
Minister of Digital Affairs, Huang Yen-nun, mentioned that while these attacks momentarily impacted the availability of websites, essential data remained secure, and operations returned to normal quickly. He stated that the attacks were not unique to Taiwan, with other countries also facing similar cyber threats.
Lin I-ching, parliamentary secretary for the ministry, explained that DoS attacks typically result in websites crashing temporarily rather than compromising or stealing sensitive data. She emphasised that recent incidents mostly led to service disruptions, with users unable to access certain sites but no actual hacking occurring.
Hsieh Tsui-chuan, director of information security at the ministry, noted that the authorities had received intelligence on the attacks as early as Tuesday (10 September). Coordination among government agencies has continued to ensure preparedness in case of future attacks. She further added that measures put in place during the presidential election would guide responses if a large-scale cyber attack were to happen.
Hsieh highlighted that one-third of affected businesses reported no impact from the attacks. Among the targeted entities were private banks, public institutions, and science parks, with public services, such as tax and ports bureaus, also being on the list of those affected.
Taiwan remains vigilant in strengthening its cyber defences as global cyber threats persist.