Taipei: Taiwan's Information, Communications, and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM) on Monday rejected an allegation by China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) that it launched cyberattacks targeting China's Internet infrastructure to push a "Taiwan independence" agenda.
According to Focus Taiwan, the MSS accused ICEFCOM in a post on the social networking app WeChat of being the lackeys of "Taiwan independence separatists," overseeing cyberattacks that included sending a large number of phishing messages and propaganda, and spreading fake news on "mainstream social networking platforms." The post claimed these activities were orchestrated to advance the Democratic Progressive Party's "Taiwan independence" agenda.
The MSS stated that it had recently uncovered dozens of online platforms used by ICEFCOM to launch cyberattacks and identified four members of the command as "ringleaders." The post included headshots, names, positions, National Identification Card numbers, and birthdays of the accused Taiwanese military members. The MSS declared that "Taiwan independence is a road to ruin," warning that those engaged in separatist activities would face legal consequences.
In response, ICEFCOM dismissed the allegations as an ungrounded fabrication aimed at intimidating the Taiwanese public. ICEFCOM stated that China had used publicly available images to falsely identify the Taiwanese service members as the masterminds behind the alleged cyberattacks. ICEFCOM emphasized that its mission is to maintain information relating to national defense and ensure cybersecurity, similar to its counterparts in other democratic countries.
The statement from ICEFCOM pointed out that China has been escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific region and globally through the deployment of warplanes and vessels, and engaging in "gray zone" activities such as cyberattacks that fall just short of open conflict. These actions have drawn international criticism. ICEFCOM affirmed its commitment to combating cyberattacks through enhanced military cybersecurity, thereby boosting national security.
