Advertisement

Red flag raised over information security

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0

Computer crimes are on the rise and the government should lead the way in guarding against network attacks that could harm the economy

THE RECENT FLURRY of reports concerning security breaches which have led to personal particulars being made freely available on the internet raise questions about information security practices in Hong Kong.

Following shareholder activist David Webb's discovery of a confidential file on 20,000 police complainants, reports have emerged of other information leaks, including data on more than 600 policyholders that had signed up with ING Life between 1984 and 2004.

Information technology sector legislator Sin Chung-kai said these recent events raised a red flag over information security management by both private companies and public bodies at a time when computer crime was growing.

According to the Hong Kong Police, there were 653 cases of computer crimes last year, up from 472 cases in 2004.

'This incident has been the alarm bell for Hong Kong's information infrastructure. It shows that if we fail to follow the latest international security developments, any network attacks could seriously damage our economy,' Mr Sin said.

Advertisement