Hong Kong Police invests HK$9M in cyber security center

The Hong Kong Police recently launched the Cyber Security Center to provide round-the-clock services, with an investment of HK$9 million in hardware and software for the new facility.

Commercial Crime Bureau Chief Superintendent Chung Siu-yeung said there will be 27 police officers working in the center, which is expected to strengthen the co-ordination between Police, government departments, as well as both local and overseas stakeholders when major information systems come under attack.

“The center will only monitor network data traffic rather than the contents on networks,” Chung said. “The facility will also analyze intelligence related to cyberattacks and respond when needed. In addition, it’ll conduct network security validations and research to help detect and prevent technology crime.”

According to Police numbers, there were 761 incidents of illegal access to computers and systems –up 34.2% from last year — that resulted in a loss of HK$135 million which was 2.3 times higher than the amount in 2011.

Chung added that operators of major cyber infrastructure have agreed to police monitoring and protection, he added. “Police monitoring is done on a voluntary basis,” he noted. “If a system comes under attack, we can help [operators] resume normal service, trace the hacking source, and warn other operators to launch contingency plans.”