Chinese Hackers Attacked Taiwan Ruling Party Website, Firm Says

Information technology experts said that the recent cyberattacks on the website of Taiwan's ruling party were perpetrated by hackers from mainland China.

According to California-based security firm FineEye Inc., the two attacks that targeted the official website of the Taiwanese Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) can be traced back to hackers based across the strait.

The company gave the assessment in a statement they issued, the South China Morning Post reported.

The DPP's website was first compromised on April 7, which was then followed by another attack on April 13. In both cases, users were directed to a fake site spoofing the DPP site's address. The fake site ran a malicious script that gathered data and created profiles for users who could become potential targets.

FineEye said that they have already observed the script being used by Chinese hackers before. The firm also said that, as the attacks were directed toward Taiwanese political targets, the perpetrators are likely being backed by Chinese sponsors who see the site as being strategically important for espionage, Business Times reported.

The company also said that more hacking attacks against the DPP and other associated organizations occured.

The party, which won a majority in the Taiwanese parliament in January, has heavily advocated the island nation's independence from China and has called for more caution in dealing with the mainland.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese government raised concerns over the ongoing cyberattacks conducted by mainland Chinese hackers. In a report submitted to a legislative meeting, the Ministry of Transportation and Communication said that the frequency and scale of the attacks are almost at the level of open warfare.

The defense ministry said that it will further strengthen the country's cyber defenses as put forward by President Tsai Ing-Wen during her campaign.