President Tsai Ing-wen is calling for the Cabinet to look into strengthening information security in light of the recent ATM hacking heist.
A group of foreign nationals hacked into First Bank’s computer program and walked away with NT$83 million (US$2.6 million) from dozens of cash machines. Most of the money has since been retrieved and three suspects including the ringleader have been arrested.
The president praised the quick cracking of the case, but Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang also conveyed Tsai’s concern.
"Information security issues have become a national concern," Huang said. "It is not just a matter of hacking into the general public’s communications, but it can be a critical blow to issues of national security, the worst of which could be the country’s financial system. [The president] has specifically pointed out that we must devise ways to strengthen information security."
Huang also relayed the president’s concern that if First Bank could fall victim to such a heist, other places and institutions could also be vulnerable. Huang said Tsai is urging the public to be on the alert but not to panic.