Space Travel News
CYBER WARS
China-based 'Flax Typhoon' hackers targeting Taiwan govt: Microsoft
China-based 'Flax Typhoon' hackers targeting Taiwan govt: Microsoft
by AFP Staff Writers
Taipei, Taiwan (AFP) Aug 25, 2023

A China-based hacking group named "Flax Typhoon" has targeted dozens of Taiwanese government agencies with the likely aim of spying on them, Microsoft has revealed.

Taiwan has long accused China -- which claims the self-ruled island as its territory -- of espionage through cyberattacks on its government networks.

Microsoft said Thursday that Flax Typhoon, "a nation-state actor based out of China", has since mid-2021 mainly "targeted government agencies and education, critical manufacturing, and information technology organizations in Taiwan".

The activities observed suggest "the threat actor intends to perform espionage and maintain access to organizations across a broad range of industries for as long as possible," the US tech giant said in a blog post.

"However, Microsoft has not observed Flax Typhoon act on final objectives in this campaign."

China has long vowed to take Taiwan -- by force if necessary -- and has stepped up military and political pressure on the island.

In addition to government agencies, Microsoft said Flax Typhoon has also targeted "critical manufacturing and information technology organizations in Taiwan".

The firm said outside of Taiwan, there were some Flax Typhoon "victims" in Southeast Asia, North America and Africa.

Last month, Microsoft said China-based hackers seeking intelligence had breached the email accounts of a number of US government agencies.

That hacking group -- which Microsoft called Storm-0558 -- primarily focuses on "espionage, data theft, and credential access".

The company also warned this year that state-sponsored Chinese hackers had infiltrated critical US infrastructure networks, saying this was likely aimed at hampering the United States during a conflict.

Microsoft made particular mention of Guam, a US Pacific territory with a vital military base, as a target.

Authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Britain have also warned that Chinese hacking is likely taking place globally, affecting an extensive range of infrastructure.

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CYBER WARS
Historic UK codebreaking base to host 'world first' AI safety summit
London (AFP) Aug 24, 2023
Britain will host a two-day international summit in November to explore how artificial intelligence can be safely developed, the government said on Thursday. The "world first" gathering will be held on November 1-2 at Bletchley Park, where top British codebreakers cracked Nazi Germany's "Enigma" code, hastening the end of World War II. It is also the home of the National Museum of Computing, home to the world's largest collection of working historic computers. The planned event comes as expe ... read more

CYBER WARS
CYBER WARS
NASA, Partners study ancient life in Australia to inform Mars search

Martian Tapas With a View: Sols 3926-3927

Delight at Dream Lake

Approaching the Ridgetop - "Bermuda Triangle" Ahead: Sols 3923-3925

CYBER WARS
Kremlin vows to pursue Moon race after Luna-25 crash

Indian rover begins exploring Moon's south pole

Profound lessons to be learned from modern-day lunar missions

India lands first mission on Moon - first to reach south pole

CYBER WARS
Neptune's Disappearing Clouds Linked to the Solar Cycle

The Road to Jupiter: Two decades of trajectory optimization

NASA's Europa probe gets a hotline to Earth

All Eyes on the Ice Giants

CYBER WARS
Study explains how part of the nucleolus evolved

Size dependence and the collisional dynamics of protoplanetary dust growth

A "Jupiter" hotter than the Sun

Watch an exoplanet's 17-year journey around its star

CYBER WARS
SpaceX sends crew of four to ISS

Rocket Lab Launches 40th Electron Mission, Successfully Flies Reused Engine

Rocket Lab inks dedicated launch deal with Japanese EO company iQPS

NASA SpaceX Crew-7 'Go' for August 25 Launch

CYBER WARS
From rice to quantum gas: China's targets pioneering space research

China to launch "Innovation X Scientific Flight" program, applications open worldwide

Scientists reveal blueprint of China's lunar water-ice probe mission

Shenzhou 15 crew share memorable moments from Tiangong Station mission

CYBER WARS
Asteroid's impact allowed mammals to rule Earth, but why so?

NASA's $985 million Psyche mission to all-metal asteroid nears liftoff

Hera's mini-radar will probe asteroid's heart

Winchcombe meteorite is helping us to understand more about asteroids

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.