Plus: Australia raises ransomware transparency

Welcome to Computing’s weekly roundup of tech news in Asia. This time we look at Chinese accusations against Taiwan, a new ransomware ruling in Australia and attempts to address India’s convoluted addressing situation through technology.

Tensions continue to heat up across the Taiwan Strait, as China has accused Taiwan of conducting cyberattacks against its National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, and has offered a cash reward for the arrests of 20 alleged Taiwanese hackers.

State media says the individuals were involved in attacks on sectors including military, aerospace, energy and transportation and maritime affairs, as well as government departments and science & technology research firms. On top of this, they are accused of working with “anti-Chinese forces” in the USA to sway public opinion.

Taiwan says the accusations are a false flag, attempting to divert attention from China’s own alleged involvement in a cyberattack against the Czech Republic.

China has long postured near the Taiwan border. It views the island as Chinese territory, a claim most Taiwanese natives reject. Any overt military action across the Strait would have a dramatic effect on semiconductor supply worldwide.

Australia

• Businesses paying more than AUS $3 million (£1.42 million) to ransomware gangs must now report it to the authorities. Source
• Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission has taken financial comparison website Choosi Pty Ltd to court, alleging that it only features products from a single company. Source
• The number of reported fraud cases is down compared to 2024, but Australians lost 28% more money to online scams in the first four months of the year. Source

China

• Lenovo, Xiaomi and Bitmain are among companies most likely to be affected by US restrictions on chipmaking software, according to the FT. Source
• Lisuan Technology has unveiled a 6nm graphics card that it claims can compete with Nvidia’s RTX 4060. Source
• A researcher has found that China’s supposedly secure quantum communications satellite Micius has a flaw which allows its quantum key distribution (QKD) to be cracked. Source
• Chinese firms are narrowing the gap with the US when it comes to developing AI agents, reports Rest of World. Source
• China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center has said it has been under a years-long, though ineffective, attack by Taiwan’s Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command. Source
• Chinese authorities have announced rewards of more than $1,000 for the arrest of 20 people they allege are Taiwanese military hackers. The rewards have elicited a furious reaction from Taiwan’s defence ministry. Source
• 25 EU consumer organisations have filed a complaint against the fashion retailer Shein, specifically against some of the tactics used by its website and mobile app. The complaint alleges ‘dark patterns’ – tactics such as countdown timers and low stock alerts to manipulate visitors to the site. Source
• Citigroup has announced staff cuts of 3,500 to two if its tech centres in China. Source

India

• Amazon India has introduced a Rs 5 marketplace fee for all orders, including for Prime members. Customers are unhappy. Source
• India Post has launched ‘DIGIPIN’, an open source nation-wide addressing grid. The scheme divides India into a series of 4m x 4m squares, each with its own 10-digit number. The intent is to make addressing easier, in a country where buildings can lack formal addresses like street names and numbers. Source
• Researchers have identified a new threat group, TA397, as likely to be a state-backed actor tasked with intelligence gathering in the interests of the Indian state. Source
• Delhi Police have arrested three people thought to be part of a pan-India cybercrime syndicate. Source
• Delhi Police have said a cybercrime syndicate operating in Delhi, Rajasthan and UP was involved in several illegal activities, from sextortion to banking fraud.
• Apple has brought in the Indian conglomerate Tata Group to handle repairs for iPhones and MacBook devices in India. Source

Japan

• Intel and SoftBank have teamed up to develop low-power memory for AI, creating a new entity called Saimemory to develop stacked DRAM. Source
• A US federal jury has ordered South Korea’s Samsung Electronics to pay $117 million to Japan’s Maxell for infringing on its tech patents. Source
• A private attempt to land a craft on the Moon by Japan’s ispace appears to have failed. Its Hakuto-R lander, Reliance, crashed on the lunar surface after a failure in its laser rangefinder. Source
• Toshiba has created a new department, the Data Center Business Promotion Department, to promote its services to datacentre builders and operators. Source

South Korea

• Samsung is sending public safety security alerts to more than 40 million account holders inform them of safety features. Source
• South Korea is one of very few countries to mandate the installation of financial security software, but researchers have found that this software is a security risk and people would be better off using inbuilt security systems in browsers. Source

Taiwan

• TSMC is looking to build advanced production facility in the United Arab Emirates, having discussed the possibility with the US government. Source
• A new report claims Taiwan’s semiconductor industry exploits foreign workers, with job brokers controlling everything from food to accommodation. Source
• Foreign workers are complaining about long shifts, cramped conditions, low pay and abuse in Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturers. Source
• Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, and supplier to Nvidia, Wistron Corp is seeking to raise $923 million by selling global depository shares. Source

Other Asia

• Asia: Asia may face as much as a 25GW shortfall in datacentre capacity by 2028, due to energy supply constraints and a lack of investment in facilities that support AI. Source
• Asia: Meta claims to have halted three covert influence campaigns originating from China, Iran and Romania using fake social media accounts. One China-linked operation targeted users in Myanmar, Taiwan and Japan to spread propaganda aligned with China’s interests. Source
• Pakistan: The government has announced its intention to establish a national crypto reserve. Critics have expressed concern about a detrimental impact on national wealth. Source