Iran's "Operation Epic Fury" cyberattacks offer a critical preview for Taiwan regarding potential Chinese threats. China, possessing a highly capable cyber arsenal, considers cyberspace a "critical domain" and "the core center for winning wars," actively launching 2.63 million daily cyberattacks against Taiwanese critical infrastructure in 2025. Iranian-tied groups conducted 5,800 attacks against American and Israeli companies, manipulating internet-facing programmable logic controllers to cause operational disruptions and financial losses.
China may replicate these tactics against Taiwan's semiconductor industry, which accounts for 18 percent of its economy, and target critical infrastructure like power plants, potentially causing widespread electricity loss. Chinese cyber operations could also induce long-term internet blackouts by damaging Taiwan's 24 undersea cables, mirroring Iran's 1 percent internet access during protests. Furthermore, China employs psychological warfare and misinformation, including leaking altered sensitive data and spreading fake reports of surrender, potentially paired with attacks on official communication lines. Intelligence gathering via CCTV hacks and disrupting sensor/communication networks to support kinetic operations, as seen in Iran, are also likely Chinese objectives.
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