A recent reveal by the Hong Kong Police Force threw a spotlight on the dark crevices of today’s digitized world. The findings underscore the escalating threat landscape and the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures in Hong Kong.
Some of the Key Findings Include:
- More than 34,000 crimes related to technology were reported last year, a 50% increase from the year before, with losses amounting to $5.5 billion HKD.
- Technology crimes accounted for about 40% of all crimes last year, while 80% of these technology crimes were fraud cases.
- Compared to the previous year, the number of computer system intrusions increased by more than 50%, with the actual figure totaling 37.
- The number of losses also tripled reaching a staggering figure of $2.1 million HKD with the largest loss so far standing at $710,000 HKD.
- WhatsApp stands at the forefront of social media account thefts, with thefts hitting 3,400 cases from 168 cases the previous year, resulting in losses reaching $87 million HKD.
- The recovery costs of an organization after an attack hit $1 million HKD.
The major reason behind the attacks and losses is because of the negligence of network security by the corporations. This could be as simple as not using a stronger or a secure password or failing to update computers and servers regularly.
Hong Kong Police Force Continues to Strive to Promote Cyber Security
The Police force also demonstrated its relentless efforts in recent years to make the internet a safe space for the citizens. By proactively contacting and requesting corrective actions from 80 local internet providers, the police force removed nearly 40,000 network threats including:
- Server Cleanup: Eliminating 60 problematic servers that posed security risks.
- Zombie Device Takedown: Neutralizing over 4,000 controlled zombie computer devices.
- Phishing Website Crackdown: Shutting down 35,000 hookup websites in recent months.
The police force also took part in an international exercise organized by Interpol between September and last month against phishing websites, malware and ransomware. The Hong Kong Police Force topped among 55 countries and regions for the number of crackdowns, having removed 153 malware and phishing sites.
Emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity, Mr. CHAN Shun-ching Baron, Acting Senior Superintendent of Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau shared, "Cyber security is something that not only enterprises should pay attention to, but is something that everyone should be closely concerned about."
Sangfor Shares Live Demonstration of Ins and Outs of a Hacking Attempt
The Police Force recently established a special operation team, called the Cyber Security Action Task Force (CSATF), a consortium of the world’s leading nine cyber security companies including Sangfor Technologies. The main aim of CSATF is to promote public-private institutional cooperation in combating cybercrimes through the exchange of online threat intelligence. As an important member of CSATF, Sangfor has taken the first step in helping the special team meet its objectives.
Mr. TSANG Cheung-fai, Paul, Sangfor Technologies‘s System Engineer Director was invited and Sangfor has presented a simulated hacking attack to the media, giving crucial insights into the ways hackers launch an attack on the computers. Specifically, the demo shed light on hacking using a brute-force attack on the SMB port and a sly attempt using a weak password used in the organization networks.
Furthermore, the demo continued demonstrating the hackers’ further in-depth attacks post-hacking, which usually occur in the real world. Major activities include installing back-door programs to control the victim computer and devices such as, using the victim computer webcam to take pictures, uploading ransomware software to encrypt the target system and so on.
Sangfor acknowledges this as a big step in helping the Hong Kong Police Force to educate the public regarding cybersecurity awareness. As a leader in cybersecurity solutions, Sangfor will continue to fiercely support the Hong Kong Police Force in safeguarding the cyber landscape of the region. Sangfor Technologies also offers a wide range of innovative cybersecurity products and services, through which organizations can tightly secure their networks and systems. To learn more about our solutions, visit us here.
About CSATF
Established on 29th February 2024, the Cyber Security Action Task Force (CSATF) is a consortium of the world’s nine leading cyber security firms along with the Police Force. CSATF brings together the collective expertise and diversified intelligence of both public and private institutions. By fostering the rapid exchange of cyber intelligence and facilitating the sharing of expert knowledge, the Task Force endeavors to bolster the collective capacity to tackle future cyber threats head-on.
About Sangfor Technologies
Sangfor Technologies is an APAC-based, leading global vendor specializing in Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, and IT Infrastructure. Founded in 2000 and publicly listed since 2018 (STOCK CODE: 300454.SZ), Sangfor employs 9,500 employees, operates 60 offices, and serves more than 100,000 customers worldwide, many of them Fortune Global 500 companies, governmental institutions, universities, and schools. Visit us at www.sangfor.com to learn more about Sangfor’s solutions and Make Your Digital Transformation Simpler and Secure.
Sources:
- https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3256525/hong-kong-police-tell-businesses-tighten-cybersecurity-more-fall-victim-hackers
- https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1746063-20240325.htm
- https://news.mingpao.com/pns/港聞/article/20240325/s00002/1711300260811/去年系統入侵案增半-實際損失料3700萬-科技罪佔整體罪案四成-破153釣魚網全球之冠
- https://www.i-cable.com/新聞資訊/210729/去年37宗入侵電腦系統案-涉款210萬元按年升兩倍
- http://news.now.com/home/local/player?newsId=554632
- https://news.tvb.com/tc/local/6600c04f16767692e730dcea/港澳-警方去年錄37宗入侵系統罪案涉款210萬元-按年上升兩倍
