Taiwan says AI agents used in cyberattacks targeting island

Taiwan reported that overseas hackers utilized artificial intelligence agents to execute a series of cyberattacks against government agencies in July, the island's digital affairs ministry announced on Thursday. While Taiwan typically accuses Chinese hackers of the majority of daily cyberattacks, this incident did not explicitly attribute the attacks to a specific nation.

China maintains Taiwan is its territory and has increased military, political, and diplomatic pressure on the island over the years. Beijing is also suspected of employing "greyzone" tactics, including cyberattacks, to pressure the island. In July, the cyberattacks began, and the affected agencies have since implemented response measures, according to the ministry's statement, which did not disclose the extent, impact, or targets of the attacks.

The hackers employed a "hybrid model" incorporating AI agents, such as the open-source platform OpenClaw, to facilitate the attacks. These agents could swiftly chain multiple techniques together and exploit secondary systems, resulting in high-speed, low-cost, and large-scale assaults. Chinese technology firms have been promoting OpenClaw due to the surge in interest, offering simplified installation and cost-effective coding plans for users to host the agents on cloud servers.

The digital affairs ministry's statement came in response to a Financial Times article this week identifying Taiwan as the target of an autonomous AI attack allegedly carried out by Chinese hackers. The FT, referencing researchers from Israeli AI company Dream, stated that the hackers utilized open-source AI agents to construct an autonomous tool to execute the attack.

The tool deployed up to eight autonomous agents that mapped 21 government systems, identified vulnerabilities, and adjusted tactics upon encountering obstacles. This was the first documented instance of an attack employing multiple AI agents, according to Kenny Huang, chairman of Taiwan Network Information Center, an internet services company.

In recent years, several countries, including the United States, have expressed concern over alleged Chinese-backed hacking targeting their governments, militaries, and businesses. China has dismissed these claims, asserting it opposes and prosecutes all forms of cyberattacks.