The National Security Bureau of the Republic of China (Taiwan) released a report on January 5 titled “Analysis of 2024 CCP Hacking Techniques,” revealing that government service networks were disturbed an average of 2.4 million times per day last year, doubling the 1.2 million daily disturbances in 2023. The majority of these disturbances were attributed to the CCP cyber army.
According to the press release of the National Security Bureau of the Republic of China on January 5, “The CCP cyber army continues to conduct relentless attacks, data theft, and disturbances in our country’s cyberspace, constantly innovating their hacking methods.” To inform the public about cybersecurity threat trends, the bureau recently completed the “2024 CCP Hacking Techniques Analysis” report.
In terms of trend analysis, based on the “Intrusion Detection Indicators” of the government Internet service network, it was reported that “the average daily disturbances of our government internet service network in 2024 reached 2.4 million times, more than double the 1.2 million daily disturbances in 2023. The majority of these disturbances were caused by the CCP cyber army. While many have been effectively blocked, it highlights the increasing severity of the overall hacking and intrusion situation.”
Furthermore, “The National Security Intelligence Team detected a total of 906 cases of hacking incidents against our government and private networks last year, compared to 752 cases in 2023, representing a growth rate of over 20%. Among them, government agencies accounted for the highest percentage, over 80% of the total.” Analysis shows that CCP cyber army’s hacking targets include the communication and broadcasting sector (650%, mainly telecommunications industry), transportation (70%), and national defense supply chain (57%), indicating these areas have become key targets for CCP’s cyber attacks.
Regarding hacking techniques, “The CCP cyber army targets vulnerabilities in our government network communication devices to conduct data theft using the ‘Living off-the-land’ method to evade network defense system detection. They also launch social engineering attacks on our public officials’ emails in an attempt to steal sensitive information. Additionally, through various means, the CCP infiltrates and steals data from our national defense supply chain and IT service providers using advanced persistent threats, phishing emails, zero-day vulnerabilities, Trojan viruses, backdoor programs, etc., aiming to disrupt our critical infrastructure such as highways and ports to influence our transportation system.”
During CCP military exercises, “Their cyber army launched ‘Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks’ (DDoS) against our transportation and financial institutions to strengthen harassment effects and expand military deterrence. It is noteworthy that CCP also collaborates with private hacking organizations, using ransomware and other cybercrime tactics to attack our manufacturing companies and steal patent technologies from high-tech startups in various countries, aiming to gain economic benefits.”
In addition, “The CCP cyber army steals personal data of our citizens through hacking methods and sells them for profit on the dark web and hacker forums, conducting ‘Hack & Leak’ operations. They also criticize our inadequate cybersecurity measures on social media forums to undermine our national reputation.”
The National Security Bureau of the Republic of China stated, “The CCP continues to intensify its cyber offensives against our networks, combining diverse hacking methods to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, and cyber theft against our government, critical infrastructure, and important private enterprises. The government of our country, through a comprehensive cybersecurity defense mechanism, utilizes multiple intelligence sources to monitor and search for cybersecurity threat intelligence, promptly sharing with relevant departments for action. At the same time, it reminds the public to prioritize cybersecurity protection, be vigilant against CCP’s cyber threats, and work together to maintain the overall cybersecurity of our country.”