A group of hackers known as "Flax Typhoon," based in China, has launched a cyber-attack on dozens of government agencies and major factories in Taiwan for espionage purposes, according to Microsoft Corporation, the technology and software company. Microsoft stated that the "Flax Typhoon" group has been active since mid-2021 and has targeted government and educational agencies, strategic factories, and information technology organizations in Taiwan, with its base being in China. Taipei accuses Beijing of spying on it through cyber-attacks on government networks. China considers the self-governed democratic island of Taiwan as part of its territory and insists on reclaiming it, even by force if necessary. The operations observed by Microsoft indicate the hackers' intention "to spy and maintain access to a wide range of companies' data for as long as possible." However, Microsoft has not observed that "Flax Typhoon" has transitioned to the execution phase of the "ultimate goals of the espionage campaign." The American company also pointed out that there are other victims of the "Flax Typhoon" group, not only in Taiwan but also in Southeast Asia, North America, and Africa. In July, the giant company reported that hackers seeking intelligence had breached the email accounts of some US government agencies. That attack was attributed to the "Storm-0558" group specializing in "espionage and data theft." AFP