Taiwan says it was targeted in AI-driven hacking campaign in July

Taiwanese authorities detected sophisticated, AI-assisted cyberattacks targeting government agencies in July, originating from overseas. The Ministry of Digital Affairs confirmed on August 13 that the affected bodies successfully managed the incident and have since implemented enhanced protective guidelines and system monitoring.

The attacks displayed characteristics of an "overseas source," with hackers utilizing a hybrid approach that blended manual operations with AI agent-assisted techniques. This development highlights the growing sophistication of cyber threats facing the island, which has long complained of "hybrid warfare" tactics from Beijing, including disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks.

While the Ministry of Digital Affairs did not explicitly name China, the incident occurred amid heightened political and military pressure from Beijing on the self-governing democracy. The National Security Bureau reported in January that Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan's critical infrastructure had increased significantly in 2025. In response to the new AI-derived threats, Taiwan has established new protective guidelines and strengthened monitoring across agencies to preemptively block such attacks.

This incident follows a report from Israeli cybersecurity firm Dream, which uncovered a separate AI-driven hacking campaign targeting an unnamed Asian government. Dream's findings indicated AI agents were used to steal credentials and personnel records, and scan for vulnerabilities, raising global concerns about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence in cyber warfare.

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The relevant attack sources, methods, and scope of impact have all been fully investigated, and the affected units have successively completed their handling.