HKCERT and GovCERT.HK Take to Social Media in Fight Against Ransomware
Release Date: 5 Sep 2017
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To combat worsening ransomware cyber attacks, the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Government Computer Emergency Response Team Hong Kong (GovCERT.HK) of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) today (5 September 2017) jointly launched the “Fight Ransomware Campaign” to strengthen the readiness of Hong Kong businesses and general public against such attacks.
The initiative came as ransomware attacks made their growing presence felt in Hong Kong in recent years with 309 and 140 cases being reported to HKCERT in 2016 and in the first eight months of 2017 respectively.
Riding on the popularity of social media and mobile technologies, the new campaign includes the creation of a Facebook page “Ransomware Intelligence Portal” (www.facebook.com/ransomware.hk) where HKCERT teams up with major international IT and cyber security companies for early sharing of intelligence of global trends and insights about ransomware, security alerts and training information with the public. In addition, the public will have access to free anti-malware software with real-time protection, provided by cyber security partners of the campaign.
Facebook page “Ransomware Intelligence Portal” (www.facebook.com/ransomware.hk)
Mr Wilson Wong, General Manager (IT and Business Process) of HKPC, said, “The campaign engages the social media so that Internet users are better informed on ransomware attacks in the early stage. As shown in the WannaCry ransomware attack in May this year, prompt dissemination of ransomware intelligence and security advice can go a long way to minimize the adverse impact of such attacks.”
Apart from the intelligence portal, the Campaign also offers free real-time anti-malware tools and security training for SMEs and other high-risk sectors. In addition, the ransomware page in HKCERT website (www.hkcert.org/ransomware.hk) has been revamped to offer a clearer picture of the propagation channel and impacts of different types of ransomware.
Ms Cari Wu, Acting Chief Systems Manager (Cyber Security) of OGCIO, and partners of the project, including Mr Garrick Ng, Chief Technology Officer of Cisco Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; and Mr Barry Kong, Digital Crimes Unit Analyst of Microsoft Hong Kong, also joined the launch today.
Wilson Wong, General Manager (IT and Business Process) of HKPC (second from left); Ms Cari Wu, Acting Chief Systems Manager (Cyber Security) of OGCIO (second from right); Mr Garrick Ng, Chief Technology Officer of Cisco Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan (first from left); and Mr Barry Kong, Digital Crimes Unit Analyst of Microsoft Hong Kong, attend the launch of the “Fight Ransomware Campaign”
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