bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Lo Hoi-ying

The number of cybersecurity cases in Hong Kong hit a five-year high in 2024 as hackers weaponised artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate data systems and generate malware, an information security watchdog said on Monday.
The Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) said phishing cases accounted for more than half of all security incidents last year.
The government-funded group handled 12,536 cybersecurity incidents in 2024, up 62 per cent from 7,752 cases in 2023, marking a five-year high. The number of phishing cases more than doubled to 7,811 from the 3,752 in 2023.
Alex Chan Chung-man, general manager of HKCERT’s digital transformation division, said nearly a quarter of the phishing attacks focused on banking, finance and e-payment services.
Social media and instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp also made up another 22 per cent of the cases.
The number of URLs related to phishing last year exceeded 48,000, increasing by about 1½ times from 2023.
“With the use of AI, the number of phishing links increased exponentially last year,” Chan said.
“Scammers can use AI to help them draft more polished phishing messages with no grammatical errors, and use AI to generate many believable URLs that look like banking websites.”
Chan warned that such cybersecurity threats would only become more prominent in the future as hackers became more sophisticated in their methods with the help of AI.
He added that criminals were also targeting important infrastructure providers, such as those in the health, energy and water sectors, which could cripple systems worldwide.
Last year, Union Hospital in Tai Wai revealed that it had fallen prey to a ransomware attack. Hackers reportedly used ransomware called “LockBit” to target it and demand a US$10 million ransom, which the hospital refused to pay.
Chan said external entities such as contractors and vendors that worked with these providers could also become a target of hackers, who could tamper with systems through their partners.

“Risks from suppliers can lead to serious consequences including legal proceedings and affect the company’s reputation,” he said.
“Security vulnerabilities in third-party software, applications and open-source code may result in cyberattacks and data breaches.”
With developments in AI, hackers were able to use AI technology such as ChatGPT to generate prompts that could train chatbots to generate malware or deceptive content, Chan said.
HKCERT also conducted a study and found that 40 per cent of companies did not conduct risk assessments for their digital signboards, revealing them as another medium vulnerable to hacking.
While Chan said Hong Kong had not seen such incidents, hackers had already started targeting digital signboards in other countries to display trolling messages or pornography.
Hackers could take control of the displays in as little as three seconds by plugging in an USB, interfering with infrared or Wi-fi signals, or taking over the content management systems to display malicious content, Chan said.
“Companies should regularly change their passwords and use multi-factor authentication, regularly backup their data and update their software to get rid of any bugs,” he said.


8 arrested in Hong Kong for providing illegal tours, cross-border shopping services

Hong Kong district councillor fined HK$1,000 for property tax form failure

Cybersecurity cases in Hong Kong hit 5-year high in 2024, aided by AI

Hong Kong should follow Singapore, Australia in anti-scam measures: lawmaker

Crime in Hong Kong

Alex Chan of the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) has revealed the number of cybersecurity incidents in the city hit a five-year high in 2024. Photo: Jonathan Wong

According to HKCERT, the number of phishing cases “increased exponentially” in 2024. Photo: Shutterstock

Second Hong Kong man rescued from Southeast Asia scam farm: ex-politician

A family member of a kidnapped victim is accompanied by former District Councillor Andy Yu (right) to petition for help. Photo: Jelly Tse

Lawmaker Johnny Ng holds a press conference to propose a mechanism in which firms would share the load of Hong Kong residents’ losses to scams. Photo: Jelly Tse

Lawyer Wilfred Lam (left) and lawmaker Johnny Ng have suggested Hong Kong follow Singapore and Australia in developing a “Fraud Loss Responsibility Framework”. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Information security watchdog handled 12,536 incidents last year, including 7,811 phishing cases


Information security watchdog handled 12,536 incidents last year, including 7,811 phishing cases.


Cybersecurity

Hong Kong economy