Photo: The revealed members include Lin Yushu, born in 1979, head of the Network Environment Research and Analysis Center of the “Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command”, and Cai Jiehong, born in 1993, team leader of the center, while Nian Xiaofan, born in 1982, and Wang Haoming, born in 1990, are active personnel at the center.
China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) released a statement on Monday, revealing details about four members of the "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command" linked to "Taiwan independence" forces and warning that the internet is not beyond the reach of the law. They must recognize the situation, abandon the fantasy of "Taiwan independence," refuse to become cannon fodder for "Taiwan independence," and cease their cybercriminal activities that undermine national unity, the MSS said.
The revealed members include Lin Yushu, born in 1979, head of the Network Environment Research and Analysis Center of the "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command", and Cai Jiehong, born in 1993, team leader of the center, while Nian Xiaofan, born in 1982, and Wang Haoming, born in 1990, are active personnel at the center, according to the MSS. The MSS also revealed with their photos and Taiwan ID numbers.
In recent years, national security agencies have closely monitored and investigated cyber infiltration activities by Taiwan island's "internet army." They have identified multiple individuals involved in the planning, commanding, and executing these activities, according to the MSS.
The "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command" was established in June 2017 as the "fourth branch" of the Taiwan authorities and was restructured in 2022 as a direct agency of the “defense department” of the island. It primarily handles electronic warfare, information warfare, cyber warfare, and military line maintenance, serving as the main force for the island of Taiwan's cyber operations against the mainland, according to MSS.
Since its inception, the "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command" has served as an instrument of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, orchestrating cyberattacks and infiltration against the mainland. China's national security agencies are firmly committed to resolutely combating their cyber espionage activities, thoroughly investigating the masterminds behind these actions and eliminating potential threats, the MSS said.
The "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command" has specifically hired hackers and cybersecurity companies as external support to execute the cyber warfare directives issued by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities. Their activities include espionage, sabotage, and propaganda.
Common tactics employed by them include infiltrating critical information infrastructure in the Chinese mainland, such as water, electricity, gas, heating, communication, and networked cameras; sending phishing and propaganda emails to key party, government, military, and enterprise units in the mainland; stealing login credentials for online streaming platforms, networked electronic displays, IP network intercom systems, or portal websites, and after gaining control, broadcasting counterpropaganda audio and video or posting propaganda images; lurking on mainstream social media platforms, nurturing a large number of "bot" accounts to spread false information, manipulate public opinion, mislead the perceptions of the people from the island and the mainland, and monitor and suppress dissenting voices on the island, the MSS noted.
Since 2023, they have used aliases like "Anonymous 64" to spread false information on social media, attempting to bolster the DPP authorities' push for "independence."
The so-called internet army continues to exaggerate its achievements, fabricating non-existent platforms to bolster its claims. In their cyberattack activities, they extensively uses open-source tools such as AntSword, IceScorpion, Metasploit, and Quasar. Recently, national security agencies have traced and seized dozens of cyberattack platforms used by the "army," discovering new trends in their attacks and espionage against important sectors in the Chinese mainland, and have thoroughly verified and dealt with these issues, cutting off the "black hands" of espionage, the MSS said.
Under the pretext of enhancing "asymmetric warfare capabilities," the DPP authorities have funneled taxpayer money into building a cyber army aimed at attacking, infiltrating, and spying on the mainland, an effort that will ultimately prove futile, the MSS stated.
Meanwhile, behind the blind expansion of the "Taiwan independence" cyber army lies internal chaos. Senior officials are greedy for achievements and engage in infighting, viewing frontline personnel as "cannon fodder," appropriating the "merits" of their subordinates, and even handing over "meritorious individuals" for legal action. The individuals were not only pocketing funds under the guise of executing tasks, inflating expenses, colluding with external forces to "earn the difference," but also were exaggerating, misrepresenting, and fabricating the "results" of cyberattack activities to claim credit and obtain performance rewards, according to the statement.
The MSS warned that "Taiwan independence" is a dead-end road. National security agencies remain steadfast in protecting national sovereignty, security, and development interests and will take all necessary punitive measures against "Taiwan independence" separatists in line with relevant legal provisions.