Taiwan Leverages Web3 to Fight Cyberattacks
- Taiwan has faced multiple cyber attacks from mainland China since 2016.
- The country has now turned to Web3 to boost its security.
Web3 has gained widespread adoption on the Asian continent as many nations in the region utilize it for different purposes. Security has now become one of the growing use cases of Web3 in Asia. The Taiwanese Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) recently announced plans to integrate decentralized technology into their web portal to fight against cyberattacks from China.
The country’s government officials plan to implement an InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a Web3 technology, to enable decentralized file sharing. This Web3 tool will be used to protect Taiwan from cybercriminals from mainland China. The relationship between the two countries recently reached an all-time low, and Taiwan is seeking ways to boost its security.
Taiwanese officials have faced multiple cyberattacks from China since the controversial visit of United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan was announced. Chinese authorities strongly warned against such a diplomatic visit, and since then, Taiwan’s government sites have suffered cyber threats. Part of the attacks includes a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack which halted access to some of Taiwan”s official sites.
Taiwan to Boost Security With Web3 Enabled Site
The homepage of the new MODA website still displays “Coming Soon August 2022,” however other files, including a site index, are freely available on IPFS. Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang pointed out that dynamic content should still employ Web 2.0 technologies since IPFS was created to make static information discoverable based on file hashes.
Tang also noted that the site has not been attacked since it was launched on the same day the Chinese military began its drills. The Digital Minister revealed that the site uses a combination of Web3 and Web2 tools. She said,
It uses a Web3 structure, which is tied to the global blockchain community, and the global Web2 backbone network. So if it can be taken down, everything from Ethereum to NFTs will be taken down, which is unlikely.
Taiwan has long suffered cyberattacks from mainland China. Authorities estimate that in 2018, the country’s public sector faced an alarming 20 million to 40 million attacks per month. Relations between Taipei and Beijing are already tense due to recent geopolitical unrest.
According to Taipei, the number of cyberattacks against the island rose after President Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party was elected in 2016. Taipei said last year that the island was subject to 5 million daily cyberattacks or vulnerability checks. Beijing sees Taiwan as being a portion of Chinese territory that can, if required, be reunified with the mainland through force.
The adoption of Web3 technology is a constructive step in the adoption of developing technologies. Tang claimed her visit to Italy inspired the decision. She did, however, draw attention to the dangers that other Web3 assets, like cryptocurrency, pose in actions like money laundering, fraud, and funding terrorism.
Taiwan has had an unsteady relationship with cryptocurrencies. The country recently informally outlawed using credit cards to purchase cryptocurrency, after the chief financial regulator likened it to online gambling. Nevertheless, Taiwan is testing its own central bank digital currency, like other nations, and has already begun distributing its digital currency to local banks.
Lawrence has covered some exciting stories in his career as a journalist, he finds blockchain-related stories very intriguing. He believes Web3 will change the world and wants everyone to be a part of it.
