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Computer hackers

The FBI and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are working with potential hacking victims. Image: Shutterstock

US accuses China of vast cyber-espionage against telecoms

Hackers stole call records and compromised communications belonging to a ‘limited number’ of people in US government and politics.

14 Nov 2024 - 7:31AMvideocam

Joe Biden, Xi Jinping will meet at Apec in Peru: US official

14 Nov 2024 - 7:00AMvideocam

South Korean facilities attacked by Russian hackers over Seoul’s Ukraine plan

6 Nov 2024 - 4:55PM

Chinese hackers collected audio from unnamed Trump campaign adviser: report

The Washington Post reported that the hackers intercepted calls and texts of Trump team adviser.

28 Oct 2024 - 9:07AM

Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Tempe, Arizona. Photo: AP

Editorial | Hong Kong’s schools and NGOs still at risk of online threats

Amid a surge in personal data breaches, the watchdog’s appeal to stay vigilant and allocate enough resources to enhance security must be heeded.

26 Oct 2024 - 8:45AM

China accuses US of ‘disinformation’ hacking attempt report

Perpetrators are said to have tapped into Verizon’s network in bid to access devices used by the Republican nominee and his running mate.

26 Oct 2024 - 10:52PMvideocam

Russia, China and Iran could stoke post-election violence: US intelligence

Foreign actors may also use cyberattacks and espionage to spread disinformation, promote confusion about the results and divide Americans.

23 Oct 2024 - 3:01AMvideocam

Supporters carry flags ahead of a Donald Trump campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Photo: AP

Hong Kong watchdog slams sports club for sloppy cybersecurity before data breach

South China Athletic Association failed to introduce effective security steps to prevent leak of 72,315 people’s data in March, watchdog says.

22 Oct 2024 - 8:37PM

US unveils new rules to block China, Russia and Iran from accessing bulk US data

Proposal implements executive order that aims to keep foreign adversaries from accessing US data for cyberattacks, espionage and blackmail.

22 Oct 2024 - 4:05AM

India’s wave of cyberattacks prompts calls for tougher rules and countermeasures

Among the entities that have been targeted by hackers were Star Health Insurance, the Supreme Court and SMEs.

14 Oct 2024 - 6:49PMvideocam

A laptop with binary computer code and an India flag on the screen. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese scientists hack encryption in quantum computer experiment: paper

Breakthrough poses a ‘real and substantial threat’ to password-protection mechanism employed across critical sectors, team says.

23 Oct 2024 - 11:10AMvideocam

Chinese scientists say they have successfully attacked a widely used encryption method using a quantum computer. Image: Shutterstock

Old devices, servers can be turned to spy on us: China’s top security agency

In continuing awareness campaign, Beijing’s Ministry of State Security says foreign agencies control disused equipment to gain state secrets.

11 Oct 2024 - 5:55PMvideocam

OpenAI says it foiled suspected China-linked phishing attack

The US start-up says SweetSpecter, a suspected China-based group, posed as a ChatGPT user and sent emails to staff with malware attached.

10 Oct 2024 - 9:51AM

Chinese hackers breach US court wiretap system: Wall Street Journal

Verizon Communications, AT&T and Lumen Technologies are among the telecoms companies whose networks were reportedly breached.

7 Oct 2024 - 12:46AMvideocam

China and USA’s flags during a meeting between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng at the Guangdong Zhudao Guest House in Guangzhou, on April 5. Photo: AFP

‘State actor’ blamed for massive Dutch police hack

Hackers stole the contact details of almost all 65,000 police officers in the Netherlands.

3 Oct 2024 - 11:48AM

A police officer from a Dutch special unit. Hackers gained access to the contact details of police staff in the Netherlands. File photo: dpa

Beijing says Anonymous64 hacker group targeting mainland China backed by Taiwan

Taipei information command denies claims as Beijing’s Ministry of State Security vows to ‘resolutely crush all separatist attempts’.

23 Sep 2024 - 6:41PMvideocam

Iranian hackers failed to interest Biden campaign in stolen Trump info: FBI

Nobody on the US president’s team is known to have responded to the unsolicited emails offering the hacked material.

19 Sep 2024 - 8:11AM

US FBI strikes second Chinese hacking group ‘Flax Typhoon’

The group was run by a Chinese company that ‘collected intelligence and performed reconnaissance for Chinese government security agencies’.

18 Sep 2024 - 11:27PM

FBI Director Christopher Wray says Flax Typhoon was being run by a Chinese company called the Integrity Technology Group that posed as an IT firm but also “collected intelligence and performed reconnaissance for Chinese government security agencies”. Photo: AP

Security ministry says Chinese jailed for giving railway data to foreigners

Ministry of State Security says Chinese vendor enticed by lucrative contract to gather data later identified as ‘intelligence information’.

2 Sep 2024 - 7:01PMvideocam

Chinese hackers exploited bug to compromise internet companies: security firm

Lumen said it assessed the hacking campaign in the US and abroad was carried by alleged Chinese government-backed group ‘Volt Typhoon’.

28 Aug 2024 - 1:58PM

Trump campaign says it was hacked, blames Iran

A US news outlet says an anonymous source offered it a report on running mate J.D. Vance’s ‘potential vulnerabilities’ and other documents.

11 Aug 2024 - 11:45AMvideocam

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during a rally in St Cloud, Minnesota, in July. Photo: Reuters

AI has made Hongkongers more vulnerable to fraud but is also used to fight back

Fraudsters are using AI to convincingly portray themselves as acquaintances and steal digital identities, driving demand for hi-tech cybersecurity solutions.

10 Aug 2024 - 12:00PM

Emerging technologies have given online fraudsters new levels of sophistication, but they are also helping cybersecurity companies fight back. Illustration: Henry Wong

Privacy watchdog finds ‘glaring deficiency’ in Hong Kong Ballet’s cybersecurity

Findings revealed of investigation into two breaches, the other at Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, involving data of about 46,000 people.

8 Aug 2024 - 6:38PM

North Korean hackers are stealing military secrets, US and allies say

The FBI has issued a warrant for one of the ‘Andariel’ hackers, with a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to his arrest.

26 Jul 2024 - 2:27AM

CrowdStrike outage: Australia warns of ‘malicious websites’ offering recovery

Australia’s cyber intelligence agency urges consumers to source their technical information from official CrowdStrike sources only.

20 Jul 2024 - 1:38PM

The San Ysidro Port of Entry border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, on July 19. A botched software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike crashed countless Microsoft Windows computer systems globally and impacted the CBP One app used by people crossing the US-Mexico border. Photo: Bloomberg

What is CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity giant behind the global IT outage?

The company is known for building software defences for the cloud computing age and exposing Russian and North Korean threats.

20 Jul 2024 - 2:04PMvideocam

Global operations at various airports, airlines, banks, hospitals and other businesses have been affected by a global tech outage in systems running Microsoft Windows linked to a faulty CrowdStrike software update. Photo: EPA-EFE

Overseas cyberattack shuts down 5 Macau government websites for 45 minutes

Expert warns Hong Kong could be ‘wide open to being attacked at any given time’ as many organisations do not have sufficient protection.

12 Jul 2024 - 3:46PM

Australia accuses Hainan-based Chinese hackers of prowling secure networks

Australian intelligence on Tuesday issued a warning about APT40 using old and forgotten devices to infiltrate sensitive networks.

9 Jul 2024 - 2:54PMvideocam

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Computer hackers

A computer hacker is an online security expert who exploits weaknesses in a computer system or network. The term 'white hat' refers to hackers who operate for non-malicious reasons, for example, testing security systems for large companies. A 'black hat' is a hacker driven by malice or personal gain. A 'grey' hat usually hacks a system to point out a security flaw, then offers to fix it for a fee.

last updated:

28 August, 2024