The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited co-organised the Cybersecurity Symposium 2023 on Dec 14, 2023. Photo shows the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong (fifth left); the Government Chief Information Officer, Tony Wong (fourth left); the Chairman of the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited, Simon Chan (fifth right), and other officiating guests. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
Chinese mainland cybersecurity experts on Thursday said they will help meet Hong Kong’s growing demand for cybersecurity, and offered to fortify the city’s defenses against the ever-increasing number of cyberattacks.
The experts, from eight cybersecurity companies on the mainland, were attending the Cybersecurity Symposium 2023 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The companies said they plan to establish or expand their presence in the city to strengthen its cybersecurity defenses and to support the development of the digital economy.
At the symposium, the city’s Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said that Hong Kong, with its high level of openness, is under constant threat of cybersecurity attacks, which could serve to undermine national security.
Sun said there is increasing demand for better cybersecurity in Hong Kong, and it is imperative to raise awareness within the community of potential cybersecurity threats. Essential measures must be taken to ensure that cybersecurity is effective in the city, Sun added.
During a recent meeting of the Legislative Council inno-tech committee, Sun mentioned that the HKSAR government would work with the industry to strengthen support for improving cybersecurity, and that the government has already issued guidelines and organized seminars to help small- and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources maintain and strengthen defense of their systems.
The symposium included six thematic presentations and discussions, on such topics as new trends in security and reliability in the digital age, digital health, safeguarding vital information for organizations, and others.
Cai Jingjing, chairman of the board of Integrity Tech, a cybersecurity company based in Beijing, said his company has set up its international headquarters in Hong Kong.
“We believe Hong Kong has a huge demand for cybersecurity.” Cai told China Daily.
Cai said Hong Kong is doing better at boosting public awareness of the importance of cybersecurity via education and training, and that digital health must be supported by people from all walks of life.
QiAnXin, one of the largest cybersecurity companies on the mainland, is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Science Park on Friday.
He Rui, assistant president of the company, told China Daily that the company already has an office in Hong Kong, and will station its new premises on the science park. He explained that Hong Kong has attracted the company from the mainland with its incentives for innovative enterprises and the local market’s huge demand for cybersecurity protection.
He mentioned certain data leakage incidents that took place in the city. Over 400 gigabytes of data was hacked from Cyberport, while the Consumer Council experienced a seven-hour cyber invasion.
He said he hopes that Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the country while being closely connected to the world can facilitate QiAnXin’s internationalization strategy.
Beijing Topsec Network Security Technology, a mainland cybersecurity company operating in Hong Kong for over two years, also plans to put more resources into the city. The company’s Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao region senior technical consultant, Robin Chen Feng, said that Hong Kong needs to strengthen its local network to build a safer cyber environment.
Liu Liming, chief financial expert of the mainland-based 360 Digital Security Group, said that Hong Kong’s international outlook makes it suitable for cooperation, and that it can attract high-quality enterprises and talent at a lower cost.
Felix Kan, CEO and co-founder of the Hong Kong-based cybersecurity company Cyberbay, said that cybersecurity should not be taken lightly, adding that his company’s platform once uncovered over 200 bugs within two months for 60 companies that were confident about their security protections.
