China accuses Taiwan of executing military-backed cyberattacks

A hacking group called Anonymous64 has been carrying out cyberattacks against targets in China, Hong Kong and Macau. China’s national security ministry is asking its citizens to report any ‘anti-propaganda sabotage’.

In a blog post posted on its official WeChat account, the national security ministry says Anonymous64 brags about its achievements. The hacking group claims to have access to many websites that are managed by the Chinese government. According to the ministry, these claims are either fake or have little to no impact.

The department posted several screenshots of Anonymous64’s X account with redacted text. Furthermore, it said it had launched a case against three members of the Taiwanese hacking group.

“We advocate that netizens [internet users, ed.] should not believe in or spread rumors and should promptly report cyberattacks or cases of anti-propaganda activity to the national security authorities,” the blog post stated.

The Taiwan defense ministry’s Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command is denying all allegations, accusing China of launching cyberattacks against Taiwan to disturb the peace through cyberattacks and military harassment.

“The current enemy situation and cyber threats are severe. The Chinese communist military and forces that coordinate with it continue to use aircraft, ships and cyberattacks to harass Taiwan and are the originators of undermining regional peace,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement to Reuters.

The political status of Taiwan is contentious.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has intensified military and political pressure the last few years to assert its claims. Today, only a handful of countries recognize Taiwan as an independent and sovereign nation instead of a part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

So while China gains recognition from the West, which culminated in the October 1971 decision by the United Nations (UN) to make the People’s Republic of China an official member of the UN, Taiwan gets sympathy from Western countries and military support from the United States.