Taiwan is bracing for a potential cyberwar with China as tensions soar between the two nations, according to a US security official.
US Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger recently told Politico that the island nation is well aware of Beijing’s formidable capabilities in cyberspace.
She also claimed that the Asian military superpower has been conducting numerous cyberattacks and espionage in recent years.
With Taipei preparing for a presidential election in January, Neuberger expects that things will get more tense in the region.
“From President Tsai [Ing-wen] on down, they’re very focused on increasing the cybersecurity and digital resilience of Taiwan,” she told the outlet.
US Support
Ongoing tension between Taiwan and China continues to concern Washington and its allies.
In case of a cyber war, Neuberger said the US would provide timely support by sending the best teams to hunt down Chinese hackers.
She also stated that her country is working closely with the self-ruled nation to increase its cyber resilience by conducting exercises to prepare for potentially crippling cyberattacks.
“The support we typically provide international partners around the world would be putting our best teams to hunt on their most sensitive networks to help identify any current intrusions and to help remediate and make those networks as strong as possible,” the official explained.
Recent Cyberattacks
In August, Microsoft announced that dozens of Taiwanese government agencies were targeted by a China-based hacking group called “Flax Typhoon.”
The attack was likely to spy on the island or steal sensitive data.
Even the US Department of Defense acknowledged Beijing’s ability to widely utilize cyberspace in case a war breaks out.
It called China a “broad and pervasive” cyber-espionage threat that is capable of secretly monitoring its adversaries and manipulating critical infrastructure.