Taiwan looks into report officials had messaging accounts hacked

It is said to affect more than 100 LINE app accounts used by ‘high ranking’ Taiwanese, including from presidential office, cabinet and military

Island faces some 30 million cyberattacks every month – around half believed to be from mainland China, security agency says

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LINE said “abnormal account activities” were detected and it has taken measures to protect users. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 3:27pm, 28 Jul 2021Updated: 3:27pm, 28 Jul 2021

Taiwan’s police on Wednesday said they had launched an investigation after local media reported more than 100 LINE messaging app accounts used by officials had been hacked and the company admitted “abnormal activities” had been detected.

The hacked accounts belong to “high ranking officials” in the presidential office, the cabinet, the military, members of the ruling and opposition parties, and regional government chiefs, the Liberty Times reported, citing unnamed sources.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau confirmed it had begun investigating after LINE formally reported the case to authorities on Tuesday, but did not provide further details.

Taiwan’s cybersecurity agency says the island faces an estimated 30 million cyberattacks every month, around half of them believed to originate from mainland China.

In a statement, LINE said it had “taken necessary measures to protect users as soon as abnormal account activities were detected”.

“We will continue to take necessary responsive measures,” the company added.

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