Hong Kong cybersecurity watchdog turns to AI tools as incidents rise 31% in 6 months

Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team tests large language models to help detect phishing websites and improve risk alert systems

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HKCERT recorded a 59 per cent rise in the number of phishing incidents, in which 18,000 malicious URLs were detected. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 8:32pm, 25 Jun 2024Updated: 9:55pm, 25 Jun 2024

A Hong Kong information security watchdog is using artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen its threat detection abilities as it recorded a 31 per cent increase in cybersecurity incidents in the first half of the year.

The Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) on Tuesday said that it had been testing AI language models since May to help detect phishing websites and improve its risk alert systems.

HKCERT handled 5,161 cybersecurity incidents in the first half of 2024, a 31 per cent increase from the 3,950 in the second half of last year, the government-funded group said.

Driving the increase was a 59 per cent rise in the number of phishing incidents, in which a record 18,000 malicious URLs were detected by the organisation.

Alex Chan Chung-man, general manager of HKCERT’s digital transformation division, said there had been a rise in hackers using advanced tools including AI-generated deepfake impersonations and malware that were harder to detect.

“We can see the hackers getting more advanced and sophisticated,” Chan said.