Taiwan says it was targeted last month in AI-driven hacking campaign

Taiwan detected AI-assisted cyberattacks originating from overseas last month, affecting several government agencies according to the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Despite the attacks, the affected bodies successfully handled the incident. The ministry revealed that the attacks, which displayed clear characteristics of an overseas source, were executed using a hybrid approach combining manual operations with AI agent-assisted attacks, such as Open Claw.

This marked the first time Taiwan had experienced such an AI-driven cyber threat. The government has since established protective guidelines and strengthened system monitoring across agencies to block such attacks early. The incident came to light a day after Israeli cybersecurity firm Dream uncovered a similar AI-driven hacking campaign targeting an unnamed Asian government.

Dream's report detailed how a team of AI agents infiltrated Taiwan's justice ministry and nuclear safety agency over a four-day period, stealing credentials, personnel records, and identifying vulnerabilities. While Dream declined to share specifics, the Financial Times identified the affected agencies as Taiwanese. The increasing use of AI in cyber attacks has been a growing concern, with recent advancements in AI models accelerating the threat.

However, cybersecurity experts caution that while AI agents can significantly enhance hacking capabilities, they still require human operators to set objectives and direct the attacks.