Taiwan has dismissed Chinese allegations that its military sponsored a recent wave of anti-Beijing cyber attacks.
China's Ministry of State Security made the allegations on Monday using its official WeChat channel. The Ministry alleged that a group called Anonymous64 was "trying to obtain control authority over portal websites, outdoor electronic screens, network television, etc." in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, to display content critical of China's system of government.
The Ministry wrote that its investigations confirmed that the Anonymous64 organization was not an ordinary hacker, but part of Taiwan's Information, Communications, and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM) – or cyber warfare wing. Beijing has named and posted photos of three Taiwanese individuals it claimed were under investigation for involvement in the cyber attacks.
According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense the mainland's accusations are "not true."
Anonymous64 often posts content critical of the Chinese Communist Party and People's Liberation Army, plus screenshots of websites it claims to have defaced. China's national security Ministry asserted that many of those screenshots were fake, and that the websites Anonymous64 claims to have hit have little or no traffic.
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"The state security organs remind developers of internet audio and video systems and web portals, as well as operation and maintenance units, and internet users, to implement network security precautionary measures, promptly update and upgrade systems, plug technical loopholes, increase password strength, strengthen inspections and inspections, and strictly prevent all kinds of network attack activities," wrote the Ministry.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province, while Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign nation. Most countries around the world treat Taiwan as if it is sovereign – but without the niceties that amount to formal recognition, so as not to anger Beijing.
"The reunification of the motherland is the general trend of history. The vain attempt of the Taiwan authorities to provoke and seek 'independence' and confront the mainland is doomed to a dead end," warned the Ministry.
On Monday, Anonymous64 linked to a state-sponsored media post about the accusation, alongside a GIF of a man laughing. ®