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Police launch free online antivirus tools for smart devices as Hong Kong faces surge in hacking threats
Authorities battle rise in cyberattacks involving email fraud and malicious apps, with HK$852 million in total losses in first half of year
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Hong Kong users can now scan and remove viruses on their smart devices using free online tools under a joint campaign between police and cybersecurity companies.
The initiative came as authorities seek to stem a surge of nearly 90 per cent in financial losses from hacking cases – victims were conned out of HK$852 million (US$108.5 million) in the first half of the year.
Between January and June, police recorded 527 cases of computer system intrusions, including on smart devices, compared with 389 cases in the same period in 2017, totalling HK$452 million in losses.
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According to sources, 90 per cent of cases resulting in financial loss this year also involved international email scammers, who first hacked into user accounts to understand the business transactions between the victims and clients. They then used fictitious emails to induce their targets into making remittances to local or overseas bank accounts.
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The force’s Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau first launched the campaign in June 2017 and provided antivirus tools to computer users on its website. The bureau said people had used the tools to remove more than 435,000 botnet-related pieces of software on their computers.
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