Dangers of Chinese-Made Internet Equipment Can Not Be Underestimated

There were reports of “cyber attacks” in various parts of Taiwan in conjunction with the U.S. Speaker of the House Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. On August 3, a meeting was scheduled between U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Large digital signage was displayed at the Kaohsiung New Zuoying train station with the words “Old Demoness Visits Taiwan” in simplified Chinese.

The term “Old Demoness” refers to a ruthless old woman and implies that Pelosi is a belligerent person. It was a warning to the Taiwanese public after Chinese hackers hijacked a large screen. Similar hijackings were also carried out against large billboards at the Zhushan Township Office in Nantou County and monitors inside 7-Eleven stores, displaying messages such as “Pelosi the warlord, get out of Taiwan.”

It was a mixed morning, and many people bought breakfast and coffee at a 7-Eleven. Suddenly the lights in the store went out, and it was pitch black. Many people were horrified to see the message floating on the electronic bulletin board.

According to an investigation by the Taiwan Railway Administration, the incident at the Kaohsiung New Zhaoying Station was determined to have been caused by someone who entered through an external network of an advertising company and connected to the digital signage display screen.