According to local reports, Taiwan has been facing an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks from mainland China — with nearly a million attempted breaches every month. The relentless attacks, which were discussed during a recent Legislative Yuan meeting, have been a pressing issue where lawmakers emphasized the urgent need for bolstering cybersecurity measures.
After reviewing the central government’s budget for 2025, the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, included allocations for the parliament’s cybersecurity measures. According to Cheng Hui-bin, director of the Legislative Yuan’s Information Office, Taiwan is facing an average of 900,000 cyberattacks from mainland China every month.
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“We have been diligently observing these attacks and implementing security measures as mandated by the Cybersecurity Act,” said Cheng as he assured lawmakers that his office was “closely monitoring the situation.”
Persistent threats
The scale of the attacks highlights the increasingly hostile cybersecurity environment Taiwan faces, noted Cheng. Besides direct attacks, Chinese authorities have also launched disinformation campaigns targeting Taiwanese companies and even private citizens.
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In September, for example, China’s Ministry of State Security accused Taiwan’s military cyber forces of “conducting attacks” against the mainland. They claimed to have identified three active-duty personnel involved in these activities and even published their names and photographs in state-run media.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense strongly refuted these allegations, calling them baseless. “These accusations are not grounded in reality. It is, in fact, China that is the primary disruptor of regional peace and stability,” stated Taiwan’s Cyber Command in an official response. Security analysts believe these accusations are part of China’s broader strategy to manipulate public opinion domestically by fostering anti-Taiwan sentiments and escalating cross-strait tensions.
Taiwan’s cybersecurity landscape
Taiwan, a democratically-governed island known formally as the Republic of China (ROC), has long been a thorn on Beijing’s side. Despite preserving its own sovereignty and de-facto governance, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views it as a renegade province and has vowed to use any means necessary to reclaim the island.
China’s cyber activities are not limited to Taiwan alone. Global cybersecurity experts have frequently highlighted the Chinese government’s involvement in large-scale cyber operations that undermine the national security of other nations. Analysts suggest that China’s disinformation campaign against Taiwan may be an attempt to distract from mounting international scrutiny of its own cyber activities.
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A recent Fortinet report revealed staggering figures for cyber threats in the Asia-Pacific region. During the first half of 2023, over 412 billion malicious threats were detected, with Taiwan alone accounting for 55 percent of these, or 224.8 billion attacks. This translates to an astonishing 15,000 attacks per second, underscoring the sheer intensity and amount of cybersecurity threats faced by Taiwan.
Bolstering security measures
While the barrage of cyberattacks presents significant risks, it has also catalyzed the growth of Taiwan’s cybersecurity industry. In 2023, the sector’s output value reached NT$74.4 billion (approximately USD $2.4 billion), and projections suggest it could surpass NT$100 billion by 2026. The rising demand for advanced cybersecurity measures and expertise has driven innovation and investment in the industry.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chung Chia-pin also highlighted the dual challenges of improving both network speed and security within the Legislative Yuan. “Taiwan must ensure robust cybersecurity measures to prevent the theft of sensitive information, which could have devastating national consequences,” said Chung during the meeting.
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But experts warn that China’s cyber activities — in collaboration with Russia — could represent a significant threat to the world’s cybersecurity. The use of cyberattacks as a tool for destabilizing other nations or compromising internal security is becoming increasingly apparent. China’s dissemination of disinformation is seen as a deliberate attempt to “deflect attention” from its aggressive cyber operations and growing international isolation, notes Chung.
