U.S. cybersecurity firm Trellix found that Chinese-linked cyber attackers launched a last-minute operation 24 hours before Taiwan’s 2024 elections. Trillex released their findings on Tuesday, in which attacks were said to have more than doubled, according to the Voice of America (VOA). It is still unclear what the desired goal of the cyber attacks was and how effective they were.

Trillex reported that “malicious cyber activity rose significantly from 1,758 detections on January 11 to over 4,300 on January 12”. Most of the cyber attacks seem to have been focused on internal communications, police reports, bank statements, and insurance information within government offices, police departments, and financial institutions. 

Trellix’s Lead Threat Intelligence Researcher, Anne An, told VOA that the attack was of an unusual pattern, with threat activity then dropping to a little over 1,000 attacks on the January 13 election day.

An says one explanation for the spike in attacks may have been the efforts of Chinese cyber attackers to influence Taiwan’s elections. She says attackers were likely trying to find records and communications that could have swayed public opinion. 

Trellix is continuing to review the data but it warns that the threats facing Taiwan may not yet be over and that the surge in attacks could be part of a long-term strategy by Chinese-linked cyberattackers.