AI agents used in cyberattacks on Taiwan government websites: MODA

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) Overseas hackers used artificial intelligence agents to target Taiwan government agencies in a July cyberattack, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said Thursday, following a Financial Times report on the incident.

In a news release, MODA's Administration for Cyber Security said its cybersecurity monitoring unit detected the attacks in July and that the National Institute for Cyber Security began issuing alerts on July 20.

An investigation was launched immediately, and the source, methods and scope of the attacks have been determined, while affected agencies have completed their responses, it said. However, the ministry did not disclose where the attacks originated.

According to the FT report published Wednesday, researchers at Israeli AI company Dream were the first to detect the intrusion, adding that the attackers allegedly used open-source AI agents to build an autonomous hacking tool. It also cited a source familiar with the matter as saying that Taiwan was the target.

The tool compromised at least 85 government user accounts and extracted more than 2,500 personnel records before the attackers expanded their operations to Taiwan's nuclear safety agency and at least seven energy companies, the U.K.-based news outlet reported.

Dream did not attribute the attack to a specific group, but researchers noted that internal communications linked to the operation were in simplified Chinese, suggesting the operators were likely connected to China.

Meanwhile, the administration said the attacks showed clear signs of originating overseas and involved a hybrid approach combining conventional hacking with AI agents such as OpenClaw.

AI agents can rapidly combine multiple attack techniques and use secondary systems, such as backup and testing systems, as stepping stones, making attacks faster, cheaper and more scalable, it explained.

MODA said the government has established guidelines to address emerging AI-related cybersecurity threats and will continue to strengthen its overall defenses and monitoring for potential attack paths.