Posted on August 3, 2022 at 7:13 PM

Taiwanese Websites Suffer DDoS Attack As Pelosi Visits Region

Taiwan’s Presidential Website has been Hit With DDoS Attack Ahead of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit. The DDoS attack occurred hours before Pelosi landed on the island. Chinese has been blamed for the attack following China’s threat that Pelosi’s visit will have “serious consequences.”

Mainland China has been expressing its opposition to Pelosi’s visit to Thailand, a region still being claimed by the Chinese government.

The DDoS attack involved flooding the Taiwanese government website with internet traffic, preventing it from operating normally The attack, which occurred exactly at 5:15 PM local time, caused the website of President Tsai Ing-wen to go down for about 20 minutes before it was restored.

The Attack Allegedly Linked To Chinese-Backed Actors

Presidential spokesman Chang Tun-Han, in a Facebook post, stated that the attack delivered 200 times the usual traffic to the website. He also pointed out that the traffic came from networks coming from outside the island’s networks.

Although the perpetrator of the attack is not yet known, everyone is pointing accusing fingers at the Chinese government which has been threatening if Pelosi continues with her plans to visit Taiwan.

Taiwan has been a disputed region, as the Chinese government is still staking claims as part of mainland China. As a result, the visit by Pelosi is seen by the Chinese government as a way for the US wants to show support for Taiwan’s independence as a separate nation.

China claims a visit to Taiwan would be taken as a serious interference in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermining its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

 “We will make a resolute response and take strong countermeasures to uphold China’s sovereignty,” China’s foreign minister said.

This will be the first notable response allegedly from China for the visit of Pelosi. With the Chinese government saying the visit will have serious consequences, it means that more attacks could be imminent.

As Pelosi arrived on the island, the country’s Su35 fighter jets were seen entering the Taiwan strait, according to Chinese state media. In line with that, the Chinese firm Sina abruptly closed its social media service Sina Weibo and news website for Taiwan.

Taiwan To Strengthen The Island’s It Defenses

Taiwan’s Presidential spokesman Chang, while referring to the online threat, stated that the Taiwanese government will continue to strengthen the island’s IT defense infrastructure. The government says it will keep defending the region and confront external information warfare.

In response to China’s accusation, the US has officially stated that it doesn’t support Taiwan’s independence. However, the White House added that Speaker Pelosi has every right to visit the island.

While explaining the reason for her visit, Pelosi said it is part of US resolve to honor “America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy”.

She added that the visit is part of the wider trip to the Indo-Pacific, which will include Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. The aim of the visits is mutual security, democratic governance, and economic partnership.

She added that the meeting with Taiwanese leadership is to reaffirm US support for its partner and promoting its shared interests. These include promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

 “America’s solidarity with the 23 million people of Taiwan is more important today than ever,” she said, adding that the world now faces a choice between democracy and autocracy.

US Lawmakers Support Pelosi’s Visit

Pelosi also stated that other US politicians have visited Taiwan in the past, and the relationship between Taiwan and the US has been a longstanding one. The goal is to continue in that part and strengthen the bond in the future. The visit will, in no way, contradict the longstanding United States policy, which is backed by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. It is also guided by the US-China Joint Communique.

Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was supported by 26 Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who stated that it is in line with the US One China policy.

Apart from the website of President Tsai In-wen, the DDoS attack also hit three other websites. These include the website of Taiwan Taoyuan International, the country’s largest export, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the National Defense Ministry.

The attack represents an increasing use of cyber attacks by rival countries to make a statement as a warning threat. The DDoS attack may not be considered very harmful or damaging, but the Taiwan government has beefed up its cybersecurity infrastructure to wade off imminent attacks.