Stock exchange hacker guilty of 'reckless' attacks

A businessman was found guilty on Wednesday of unleashing “highly reckless” cyberattacks on a stock exchange website last year.

Tse Man-lai, 28, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of obtaining access to a computer with criminal or dishonest intent in District Court. He was convicted of both counts after a trial.

Tse launched “denial-of-service”, or DoS, attacks on HKExnews, a website providing regulatory filings and disclosure announcements by listed companies, on August 12 and 13 last year.

In handing down his verdict, Judge Kim Longley said Tse’s attacks had been serious, “highly reckless” and targeted a website that was important to Hong Kong.

DoS attacks are designed to interrupt or suspend a site’s services to its users. When they originate from more than one source, they are called DDoS attacks.

The court earlier heard that the attacks had originated from internet protocol addresses assigned to a computer used only by Tse at his Tin Shui Wai home.

Prosecutors said Tse launched the attacks to promote his own company, Pacswitch Globe Telecom. He wanted to use screen images and a video from the hacking to demonstrate the web site's vulnerability and help suggest the company could provide services to prevent DDoS attacks.