Photo: From Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau's Tianhe District Branch

The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau's Tianhe District Branch in South China's Guangdong Province on Thursday released a wanted notice with reward for 20 key suspects from the Taiwan island who were involved in cyberattacks. 

This marks the first time the public security authorities have taken law enforcement action to strike against "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, as well as the first coordinated crackdown on organized online criminal activities of the "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command." Authorities have successfully confirmed the identities of 20 suspects, secured comprehensive evidence of their crimes, and issued public wanted notices with rewards.

On May 20, the Tianhe Branch issued a police notification, stating that a local tech company in Guangzhou had been targeted by a cyberattack from overseas hackers. Public security authorities immediately launched an investigation, extracted samples of the malicious software involved, secured key evidence related to the case, and organized a technical team to trace the source of the attack.

On May 27, the police branch released a follow-up notification, reporting a major breakthrough in the investigation - the cyberattack against the tech company was found to have been carried out by a hacker group linked to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan.

The wanted notice with reward released on Thursday publicly detailed that the cyberattack was directed and carried out by DPP's "Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command" involving multiple suspected illegal activities. It issued wanted notices with rewards for 20 key suspects, including Ning En-Wei, who were involved in the attack. The notice disclosed the suspects' names, genders, and ID numbers in the Taiwan island, including the information of one female suspect. The release of this notice indicates that the cyberattack case targeting the Guangzhou tech company has been successfully solved.

The public security authorities said that, in order to lawfully combat malicious cyberattacks and the illegal control and sabotage of computer information systems, and to effectively safeguard national security as well as the safety and lawful rights and interests of the public, the Tianhe Branch of Guangzhou police has decided to issue wanted notices with rewards for 20 suspects involved in the aforementioned cyberattacks, including Ning.

The public is encouraged to actively provide leads. People who provide valid clues to the authorities, as well as individuals who assist in apprehending the suspects, will be rewarded with 10,000 yuan ($1,391) for each suspect.

Zhuo Hua, an international affairs expert at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times that the public security authorities' crackdown on the criminal group of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces highlights two key features. First, the efficiency and professionalism of law enforcement in investigating cyberattacks is remarkably high. 

Shortly after receiving the report and issuing a police notice, authorities completed the investigation, gathered evidence, traced the source, and identified the perpetrators. This demonstrates that in combating cybercrime of the "Taiwan independence" separatists, law enforcement not only possesses overwhelming technical advantages in both offense and defense, but has also been closely monitoring their cybercrime trends over the long term, with a thorough understanding of the key individuals, methods, and patterns involved, said Zhuo.
The second feature is that, in recent years, the national judicial system for punishing separatism in accordance with the law has been continuously refined, and it has now entered a stage of effective enforcement. The wanted notices issued by public security authorities demonstrate their determination and capability to hold accountable, pursue, and prosecute those involved in organized cybercrimes originating from Taiwan Province for life, said the expert.
"The deterrent effect of this law enforcement action is self-evident. The individuals on the wanted list are merely a very small number selectively made public by law enforcement authorities," Zhuo noted. "Anyone who continues to act as a cybercriminal enforcer for the DPP's 'Taiwan independence' agenda will be targeted by law enforcement. As long as conclusive evidence is established, one will face lifelong legal accountability," said the expert.