Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan’s major infrastructures, such as hospitals and banks, increased 6 percent in 2025 from the previous year to an average of 2.63 million attacks a day, the island’s National Security Bureau stated, citing that some were coordinated with military drills in “hybrid threats” to isolate the island.
In recent years, Taiwan has also taken issue with what it perceives as China’s “hybrid warfare” both via daily military exercises off its coast and through disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks, as Beijing is increasing military and political pressure on the democratically governed island to force Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty.
According to a report by the National Security Bureau on Sunday, the average number of everyday attacks in 2025 surged to 113 percent since 2023, when the bureau initially began publishing such data, with sectors such as energy, emergency rescue, and hospitals seeing the sharpest year‑on‑year increase.
The report indicated that “Such a trend indicates a deliberate attempt by China to compromise Taiwan’s crucial infrastructure comprehensively and to disrupt or paralyse Taiwanese government and social functions.”
The bureau reported China’s “cyber army” planned operations to align with military and political coercion. China launched 40 “joint combat readiness patrols” by sending military planes and ships close to Taiwan, and cyberattacks grew on 23 of those occasions.
China also increased its hacks at politically sensitive times, like when President Lai Ching-te celebrated his first year in charge with a speech in May and when Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim was addressing a meeting with lawmakers at the European Parliament in November.
The report stated that “China’s moves align with its strategic need to employ hybrid threats against Taiwan during both peacetime and wartime.”
Therefore, the China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. China habitually refuses to acknowledge that it is engaged in hacking.
Beijing declares to own Taiwan and has never ruled out using force to make the island a part of its state. Taipei strongly objects to China’s sovereignty assertions and states that only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
The Chinese attacks involved in the Taiwanese report, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, intended to disrupt the day-to-day life of Taiwan, and man-in-the-middle attacks to steal information and gain entry into the telecommunications networks of the island.
Science parks hosting the Taiwan semiconductor sector, including companies like TSMC, have also been targeted, with attackers using various methods to steal high-technologies.
The report stated that the move was “an attempt to support China’s self-reliance in technology and economic development and prevent China from being put in a disadvantaged position in the U.S.-China technology competition.”
