TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To address China's relentless cyberattacks against Taiwan during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, National Taipei University (NTPU) assistant professor of criminology Puma Shen (沈伯洋) shared his advice over the weekend on how to prevent the country from falling victim.

Shen pointed out that Taiwan could not let its guard down during the current outbreak because cyber warriors employed by the Chinese government would likely take advantage of the situation and intensify their attacks. He emphasized that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had been attempting to disrupt preventive efforts taken by Taiwan against the coronavirus and spreading fake news to undermine the credibility of the island nation's medical leaders.

The Taiwanese expert said that China's cyberattacks could be categorized into four types: attacks from special government units overseas, attacks from nationalistic Chinese netizens, attacks from hired social media users, and attacks from Taiwanese bribed by the CCP. He noted that Taiwanese "spies" were the most difficult to detect since some of them were celebrities and online personalities with many followers, according to Liberty Times.

Shen also mentioned that while the CCP had long relied on Facebook to spew its propaganda, it has recently shifted focus to YouTube and other social media platforms. He added that there had been a lot of fake information on LINE as well and urged Taiwanese to be extra cautious when sharing messages, reported CNA.

NTPU assistant professor of criminology Puma Shen (right). (Facebook photo)