Police remove school server in hacking inquiry

A University of Science and Technology computer server, identified as a source of cyberattacks against the US, has been removed by police for investigation, the college president says.

The server, in a computer at the university's business school in Clear Water Bay, had been accessed by many people under one employee's log-in name, Professor Tony Chan Fan-cheong said yesterday.

It was difficult for the university to track down the computer's users, since it could easily be accessed by staff, students and even outsiders, he said.

"It is still unknown whether the attack was committed within the campus, or [whether outsiders] hacked our system," Chan said, adding the college had set up a team of experts to strengthen network security.

The university was named in a report two weeks ago by American internet security firm Mandiant, which claimed that a Chinese military cyberspy unit had targeted the US and the college's network was involved.

Beijing has denied its army's involvement in the activities.

"HKUST has been named as one of the sources among some 600 IP addresses disclosed in the report," Chan said.