Taiwan plans proactive cyber threat hunting team with US instructors
Quick Look
- Taiwan's defence ministry plans to establish a proactive cyber threat hunting team, pending legislative approval, to actively search military networks for hidden threats.
- The programme, which would shift focus from conventional defences to active threat detection, is expected to involve US instructors providing adversarial training similar to the US Cyber Flag exercises, according to local media reports.
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Why It Matters
Taiwan's defence ministry is developing a proactive cyber threat hunting programme to move beyond conventional defences like firewalls and post-attack remediation. The initiative seeks to align Taiwan's cyber capabilities with international practices by actively searching for hidden threats in military networks and critical infrastructure during peacetime.
According to the budget plan, which still needs legislative approval, the programme would focus on “proactive cyber threat hunting”, moving the military beyond conventional defences, such as firewalls and post-attack remediation, towards actively searching networks for hidden threats.
Taiwan’s defence ministry did not identify where the foreign instructors would come from, but local media reports suggest they would mainly be from the United States. The instructors are expected to introduce realistic adversarial training comparable to the US military’s Cyber Flag exercises, according to the Taipei-based Liberty Times.
Like detectives following clues, team members would be trained to search military networks and critical infrastructure during peacetime for hostile hackers bypassing existing defences and concealing themselves inside systems, the outlet said.
The Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command is an independent branch of Taiwan’s military specialising in digital warfare, with responsibilities that include cyber operations, electronic warfare, military communications resilience and the protection of critical infrastructure.
The planned threat-hunting team would identify and eliminate hidden intruders and back doors before an adversary launched an attack, while bringing Taiwan’s cyber capabilities more in line with international practices, according to the report.
The plan comes as Taipei and Washington expand military exchanges well beyond arms sales, with American military personnel, civilian defence officials and contractors increasingly involved in advising, training and observing forces from the island.
Open Questions
- What is the exact budget allocation for the cyber threat hunting team?
- When is legislative approval expected?
- How many US instructors will be involved and what is their specific role?
- What is the timeline for implementing the threat-hunting team?
