Taiwan hit by AI-powered cyberattack
"Всі джерела, методи та масштаби впливу відповідних атак були ретельно розслідувані, і постраждалі підрозділи успішно завершили свої дії", - додали в міністерстві. У відповідь на цей новий тип кіберзагроз, що виходять від штучного інтелекту, уряд Тайваню
Taiwan detected cyberattacks on government agencies using artificial intelligence last month. The cyberattack originated from abroad, but the affected agencies successfully handled the incident, according to Reuters.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs stated that the cybersecurity monitoring unit detected an anomalous attack targeting government agencies in July. In particular, starting July 20, the National Institute of Cybersecurity issued several alerts and conducted an investigation.
The investigation found that the attacks bore clear signs of a foreign source, with hackers employing a hybrid approach that combines manual operations with attacks using artificial intelligence agents such as Open Claw.
"The relevant attack sources, methods, and scope of impact have all been fully investigated, and the affected units have successively completed their handling," the ministry added.
In response to this new type of cyber threat involving artificial intelligence, Taiwan's government has developed protective measures and strengthened system monitoring across all agencies to prevent attacks at an early stage.
Taiwan's statement came a day after the Israeli cybersecurity company Dream reported in its blog that it had uncovered a hacker attack using AI, during which credentials and other information were stolen from an unnamed Asian government.
Dream added that a group of AI agents worked together over four days to obtain numerous passwords from unknown officials, steal personal files of Ministry of Justice employees, and test the nuclear safety agency for vulnerabilities.
What else is known
Reuters notes that in recent years, Taiwan has complained that it is facing hybrid warfare from China. In particular, Taipei has reported daily military exercises near the island, as well as disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks.
Beijing, as is known, is intensifying military and political pressure on the democratically governed island of Taiwan in an attempt to force Taipei to recognize China's sovereignty claims.
According to Taiwan's National Security Bureau data from January 2026, the number of cyberattacks from China on the island's critical infrastructure — from hospitals to banks — increased by 6% last year compared to 2024, reaching an average of 2.64 million attacks per day.
It was also noted that some of these breaches were synchronized with military exercises as part of "hybrid threats" aimed at paralyzing the island.
Notably, in the aforementioned statement regarding the July incident, Taiwan did not specify whether China was involved in the cyberattack.
What else is important to know
A few days ago, the media reported that Taiwan is taking a cue from Ukraine and emphasizing unmanned and naval drones to deter a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwan intends to inflict such damage and risk that Beijing would not dare to take that step.
