Taiwan military officers exposed in cryptocurrency espionage
Two Taiwanese military officers have been indicted on charges of selling sensitive government information to mainland Chinese contacts in exchange for cryptocurrency payments, the Caiotou District Prosecutors Office said in a statement on Sept. 3.
According to the prosecutors, the two officers identified as Lieutenant Han and Captain Lin received 8,151 Tether (USDT) in exchange for at least seven classified military documents.
Han allegedly established online contact with individuals from mainland China and transmitted photographed documents through Telegram between December 2022 and February 2024.
Lin, who served as a company commander in the military police, is accused of providing his login credentials to Han, allowing unauthorized access to classified military networks.
This enabled Han to download the sensitive material, including a manual detailing Taiwan’s military strategies for cyber defense.
Both Han and Lin face serious charges, including violations of Taiwan’s Anti-Corruption Act and the National Security Act.
A growing number of Taiwanese soldiers are engaging in espionage for financial gain. (Wang Yu Ching/Office of the President, CC BY 2.0 via Flickr)
According to The Control Yuan, Taiwan’s government watchdog, the number of espionage cases has increased dramatically over the last decade. Between 2011 and 2023, there were 40 recorded espionage cases, up from 13 cases between 2001 and 2010.
The rising cases of crypto espionage between China and Taiwan signals a shift in Beijing’s espionage strategy, according to Russell Hsiao, executive director of the US-based think tank Global Taiwan Institute.
The recent cases targeted younger military officers motivated by financial gains, while past cases often involved older retirees driven by ideology.
In another case last month, the Taiwan High Court sentenced eight individuals to prison on Aug. 22 for leaking military secrets to China in exchange for an…
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