Bloomberg News
Date: December 20, 2015
By: Tim Culpan and David Tweed

Chinese hackers have attacked Taiwanese targets including local news

Buildings stand illuminated at night in Taipei, Taiwan.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg

organizations and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party in a bid to get information about policies and speeches ahead of presidential and legislative elections next month.

An attack on the unnamed media outlets came in the form of phishing e-mails with the subject line “DPP’s Contact Information Update,” according to research by security company FireEye Inc., which identified a Chinese state-backed group called APT16 as carrying out attacks. Hackers also infiltrated e-mails of party staff, changing security protocols and writing messages spoofing the account holders in what may have been an attempt to deliver malicious code, according to one of the victims.

Taiwan goes to the polls Jan. 16 and opinion surveys show the DPP is likely to win a legislative majority, with its leader Tsai Ing-wen securing the presidency after eight years of nationalist Kuomintang rule. China, which considers Taiwan to be one of its provinces, is wary of the DPP’s views on Taiwan independence and advocacy of more caution in its relationship with the mainland.     [FULL  STORY]