The Taiwanese government has claimed to have detected a wave of AI-enhanced cyberattacks on government agencies, exhibiting a hybrid pattern of hackers using AI agents to chain multiple attack methods on simultaneous basis.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs said in a detailed statement on Wednesday that their cyber security monitoring teams had spotted abnormal activities since July of this year with the Cybersecurity Research Institute (CRI) issuing alerts from July 20th.
“The investigation revealed that this wave of attacks clearly originated from overseas and exhibited a hybrid pattern combining hacker operations with AI agents such as Open Claw. These AI agents can rapidly chain together multiple attack methods and utilize backup and testing systems as springboards, enabling attacks to be fast, low-cost, and large-scale,” read a statement from Ministry of Digital Affairs, Taiwan.
The ministry said investigators had identified the sources, methods and scope of the attack, and affected government agencies had completed their response measures. In response, Taiwan has added further security and enhanced monitoring of government systems to identify and prevent similar attacks at an early stage.
Although the statement did not outrightly blame Beijing for the campaign, it has been pointed out by Taiwan that China has allegedly carried out activities involving hybrid warfare in the past. According to the Taiwanese government, these include using pressure and manipulation tactics, including military pressure, cyber attacks, and misinformation.
The report published by the National Security Bureau in Taiwan indicated that there were 6% more cyber attacks on critical infrastructures, including hospitals and banks, compared to the previous year. The average number of attacks reported on a daily basis works out to 2.63 million attacks. Some of the incidents were coordinated with the Chinese military exercises conducted around the island.
Also Read: Taiwan Arrests 3 in NVIDIA Chip Smuggling Probe Tied to China Export Ban
