China escalates cyber war on Taiwan: What's behind the surge
Photo: Chinese hackers intensify attacks on Taiwan (Getty Images)
Hacker groups linked to the Chinese government have launched a large-scale espionage campaign against major players in Taiwan's semiconductor industry amid escalating tech tensions between the US and China, according to Reuters.
The agency states that the main goal of the attacks is to steal advanced technologies that are critical for the development of artificial intelligence.
Experts from cybersecurity firm Proofpoint say that since spring 2025, at least three hacker groups have carried out coordinated attacks on Taiwan's top tech firms. Industry giants like TSMC, MediaTek, United Microelectronics Corp, Nanya Technology, and Realtek Semiconductor were all targeted.
These cyberattacks come as the US imposes increasingly strict export controls aimed at cutting China off from advanced microchips, especially those used in AI systems.
"We've seen entities that we hadn't ever seen being targeted in the past being targeted," said Mark Kelly, a threat researcher at Proofpoint.
He noted that the hackers' tactics are also evolving. One group posed as job seekers, using compromised accounts from Taiwanese universities to send out infected PDFs and virus-laden archives.
Others disguised themselves as investment firms to infiltrate corporate systems through conversations with analysts.
Cyberattacks on Ukraine and the West
In recent years, cyberattacks have become a key element of warfare conducted by Russia and its Asian allies against Europe and the US.
For example, in December, hackers attacked Italy's Foreign Ministry and two airports in Milan. The pro-Russian group Noname057 claimed responsibility.
After, Chinese state-backed hackers breached the US Treasury Department's cybersecurity system and stole many documents. Officials called it a "major incident."
