Ministry forms advanced AI cybersecurity task force

• By Shelley Shan / Staff Reporter, with CNA

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

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The Ministry of Digital Affairs has formed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) cybersecurity risk response task force to strengthen information sharing and develop protective strategies with agencies overseeing critical infrastructure in response to AI-powered cybersecurity threats.

“This has been an unpeaceful year in terms of cybersecurity. As AI models are now equipped with capabilities to penetrate systems as professional hackers, there has been a change in the cybersecurity offense and defense landscape. The speed and scale at which the offense launched cyberattacks has made it increasingly challenging to defend,” Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Yang Chia-ling (楊佳玲) told participants of this year’s Taiwan Cybersecurity Incident Response Conference in Taipei on Tuesday.

The advanced AI cybersecurity risk response team was formed so that new information and policies can be promptly delivered to government agencies and critical infrastructure operators, she said.

Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Yang Chia-ling, fifth left, and other participants hold a placard and pose for a photograph at the Taiwan Cybersecurity Incident Response Conference in Taipei on Tuesday.

Photo: CNA

The Administration for Cybersecurity and the National Institute of Cyber Security (NICS) are fully aware of AI agent attacks and security loopholes in PHP program language that has been reported recently.

As part of its short-term strategy, the ministry has instructed government agencies and critical infrastructure (CI) operators to minimize their systems’ exposure to cyberthreats, Yang said. They should also assess whether outdated systems need to be decommissioned, she said.

The ministry has also issued vulnerability guidelines outlining principles for patching security flaws and is using AI tools developed by major international technology companies, as well as locally developed tools, to scan critical systems for potential vulnerabilities, she said.

Government agencies and CI operators have clearly defined cybersecurity defense frameworks and incident response procedures under the Cyber Security Management Act (資通安全管理法), Yang said, adding that the ministry, the Administration for Cybersecurity and the NICS would work with industry to weather cybersecurity crises.

The conference was hosted by the Taiwan Computer Emergency Response Team/Coordination Center, which primarily provides threat intelligence sharing, incident response coordination and international cooperation, she said.

Yang encouraged more companies to join the initiative and urged businesses to take alerts issued by the center seriously and promptly apply the necessary security patches.