Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen’s office targeted in suspected cyberattack

Files said to contain internal documents were sent to local media days before the re-elected president starts her second term in office

The presidential office has said the material was ‘doctored’ while local politicians point the finger at Beijing over the incident

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President Tsai Ing-wen’s office was reportedly hacked. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:00pm, 18 May 2020Updated: 4:57am, 19 May 2020

Hackers have reportedly targeted the office of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, days before the inauguration for her second term in office, in an incident that highlights the security threat facing the island’s government amid growing tensions with mainland China.

Some local media outlets said they had received four emails from an account named “tsailoser” over the weekend containing 11 files that claimed to detail the infighting and power struggles between Tsai and her confidants.

While the presidential office said the content had been “doctored”, legislators and some security experts said the office needed to step up its cybersecurity.

Presidential spokesman Alex Huang confirmed on Monday that information security units were investigating the suspected cyberattack.

Legislators questioned security levels at the presidential office in Taipei. Photo: EPA-EFE

“We have already reported the case to the Criminal Investigation Bureau,” Huang said in Taipei.

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