Macau hacking attacks traced to Hong Kong and US
Police say city and the US were origin of attacks on official e-mail accounts, forcing authorities in enclave to 'mobilise all efforts' to protect data
The e-mail accounts of several government departments in Macau were hacked last week in attacks that police said originated in Hong Kong and the US.
Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on said yesterday the government was "highly concerned" about the unauthorised access to 34 e-mail accounts run by the city's main telecommunications operator CTM.
Police launched a criminal probe and traced the internet protocol (IP) addresses of the attacks to Hong Kong and the US.
The news comes at a time of heightened concern over global cyberspying activities, especially those by the US National Security Agency after the leaks by whistle-blower Edward Snowden. CTM confirmed the attacks but said: "So far, there is no trace of loss or risk to customers' personal data."
Chui said the e-mail accounts reportedly hacked "included those of some government departments", but he would not detail how many or if they included his own e-mail account.
A government spokesman told the South China Morning Post: "We can't provide more information because investigations by the Judiciary Police are currently taking place." He said the government had "mobilised all efforts to ensure the network security of public departments, commercial institutions and the general population".