TOPIC

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity
From black hat hackers attempting to break into government computer systems, to white hat security experts working to crack and improve protections on popular internet browsers, cybersecurity affects us all. Every day hackers steal millions of pieces of personal data and, as former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed, sometimes it may be our own governments doing the snooping.
Hong Kong residents lost HK$6.43 billion to various scams over the first 10 months of 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong online investment scams surge 20% as losses hit HK$3.08 billion

80 per cent of all fraudulent messages disseminated through Meta-owned platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.

Australia

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

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Britain

UK sanctions Russian and Chinese firms, warns of cyber threats, hybrid warfare

Singapore

Can Singapore’s cyber laws keep pace with speed of borderless online threats?

Long-term resilience will hinge on complementary measures such as deeper regional cooperation and improved digital literacy, analysts say.

Singapore’s central business district. The city state has a tailored and multilayered system to deal with misinformation and inflammatory online material. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Federal communications agency may bar Chinese telecoms firms from US networks

The FCC move is the latest in a series of actions Washington has taken against Beijing over efforts to prevent robocalls.

Britain

‘Follow me’: UK’s Starmer launches TikTok account despite security ban

Prime minister’s office insists ‘security mitigations’ are in place as he turns to the popular Chinese-owned app for greater outreach.

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India

Cyber scams threaten confidence in India’s outsourcing industry

Fraudsters leveraging India’s cost advantages and skilled workforce create a systemic risk for legitimate businesses, analysts warn.

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Sophisticated cyber scam networks are threatening to inflict “reputational damage” on India’s thriving US$150 billion outsourcing industry, observers warn. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Hegseth’s Signal use posed risk to US forces, Pentagon review finds

White House ‘stands by’ Pentagon chief Hegseth, who is also under intensifying scrutiny over US strikes in the Caribbean.

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China economy

Opinion | China’s shrinking credit reflects a financial reset, not a collapse

Beijing is moving away from the old growth model reliant on rising leverage, towards a framework that prizes risk management and data integrity.

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South Korea

How a South Korean e-commerce giant missed mega data leak for 5 months

President Lee said the ‘scale of the damage is massive’, calling for stringent penalties and ‘effective countermeasures’.

Coupang is South Korea’s most popular online shopping platform. Photo: Shutterstock
Fintech

Hong Kong reaps the fruits of fintech seeds sown nearly 10 years ago

Hong Kong’s rise as a fintech hub is due to the concerted regulatory push, with the city competing with Singapore for regional leadership.

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Illustration by Henry Wong
Japan

Asahi admits cybersecurity ‘weakness’ after info of 2 million people stolen

The drink giant’s boss denied the company had made any ransomware payment over the September incident.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong launches probe after voters’ personal details posted on social media

Government warns that such acts will not be tolerated, with the Registration and Electoral Office referring case to a law enforcement agency.

US-China trade war

‘Close the loopholes’: US officials urge tougher chip rules to limit China gains

Lawmakers seek stronger BIS powers and more staff, saying Beijing could use one-year pause in export controls to advance domestic abilities.

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The NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPU builds on core innovations to accelerate training and AI reasoning. Photo: Handout
Britain

MI5 warns UK lawmakers of Chinese spies on LinkedIn

The ‘espionage alert’ warned that Chinese nationals were ‘actively’ reaching out to lawmakers via recruitment headhunters.

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Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warns MPs of Chinese spies using LinkedIn and recruiters to target UK politicians. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China trade war

US panel urges new economic statecraft body as China’s tech challenge grows

American Congressional commission concludes consolidated single entity would be more effective in dealing with Beijing.

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Denmark

Cyberattack hits Danish political parties on eve of local elections

Pro-Russian hacker group claims it targeted the websites of several Danish political parties.

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US-Asean relations

What US anti-scam ‘strike force’ means for Southeast Asia’s cybercrime fight

Analysts say the US initiative can serve as a coordination blueprint to push back against transnational criminal enterprises.

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US Attorney Jeanine Pirro points to a text message sent by a scammer as she announces the Scam Centre Strike Force in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Anthropic warns of first reported AI-driven hacking campaign linked to China

The attack, aimed at around 30 global targets, was notable for the extent to which artificial intelligence was used to automate the work.

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France

‘War of tomorrow will begin in space,’ Macron says, singling out Russia

The leader unveiled a multibillion euro increase in French military spending for space activities, citing Russia’s threat of nuclear arms.

Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Which Hong Kong authorities score well on cybersecurity and which don’t?

A ratings agency gives its take but Digital Policy Office says gradings have limitations as they only take into account publicly available information.

The Hong Kong government’s headquarters. Photo: Jelly Tse
Artificial intelligence

Chinese AI models comparable to US ones in frontier risks, study finds

As AI systems grow more powerful, their potential to endanger public safety and social stability has raised alarms.

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Chinese AI models have joined their US counterparts in pushing the boundaries of frontier risks, according to a new report. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Quicker, nimbler scammers outrun Asian banks in cyberfraud ‘arms race’

Cybercrime in Asia is evolving ‘at an unprecedented rate’, accounting for US$37 billion in losses last year, Malaysian banking body warns.

Nordic nations

Concern in Norway after test shows Chinese-made buses can be disabled remotely

Transport operator Ruter says the manufacturer has access to the vehicles’ control systems, which could in theory be used to turn them off.

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China-Australia relations

Hot-button regional issues expose Australians to foreign agents: spy chief

‘More Australians are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than ever before,’ ASIO head Mike Burgess says.

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Mike Burgess, ASIO director general of security, delivers the 2025 Lowy Lecture in Sydney. He says Australia’s community cohesion is under threat from outside influences. Photo: Reuters
Australia

CEO of Singapore-owned Optus refuses to resign after deadly Australian outage

Stephen Rue apologised for September’s emergency line outage but said a change of leader ‘is not what Optus or our customers need’.

Optus CEO Stephen Rue arrives at Parliament House in Canberra on October 7. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Canada, Philippines take ‘next step’ with joint forces pact amid China concerns

The deal is mutually beneficial to both countries, particularly as Canada moves out from under the US’ shadow in the region, analysts say.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Scameter app gets upgrade, AI tools to tackle social media scams

Online employment and investment scams are on the rise, despite police recording a marginal increase in swindling cases.

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