Cyberattacks on Taiwan’s government departments doubled in 2024, reaching an average of 2.4 million attacks per day, according to the island’s National Security Bureau. Most of the attacks were attributed to Chinese cyber forces, with key targets including telecommunications, transportation, and defence. The report highlighted the increasing severity of China’s hacking activities, noting that many of the attacks were timed to coincide with Chinese military drills around Taiwan.
Taiwan has long accused Beijing of using cyberwarfare as part of broader “grey-zone harassment” efforts, which also include military exercises and surveillance balloons. The latest report detailed how China’s cyber forces employed advanced hacking techniques, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and social engineering, in an attempt to steal confidential government data. These attacks were aimed at disrupting Taiwan’s infrastructure, including highways and ports, and gaining strategic advantages in politics, military affairs, and technology.
China has not responded to the allegations, though it routinely denies involvement in hacking operations. However, Taiwan’s findings come amid growing international concerns over Chinese cyber activities, with the United States recently accusing Chinese hackers of stealing sensitive documents from the US Treasury Department. Taiwan’s government has warned that Beijing’s cyber threats are intensifying and pose a growing risk to national security.
