Security Blog

Ransomware Trends Q2 2023: Surge in Attacks Across Asia-Pacific, Persistent Multiple Extortion, and Evolving Threat Landscape

The evolution of ransomware has significantly affected businesses in recent years. Current trends indicate that ransomware developers are increasingly inclined to employ multiple extortion strategies. Furthermore, they have expanded their focus to platforms that previously received less scrutiny, such as the macOS operating system. Employing...

Release Date: 22 Sep 2023 1330 Views

HKCERT Alerts the Public on Preventive Measures Against WhatsApp Account Theft

Recently, there has been a surge in cyber attack targeting WhatsApp accounts. Hackers are sending messages to victims, impersonating their friends and family, and requesting that the victims forward the registration codes of their WhatsApp accounts. The fraudsters exploit these registration codes to gain access...

Release Date: 6 Sep 2023 1962 Views

Comprehensive Guide to Social Media Scams: Setting up Defense to Safeguard Your Personal Information

Social media has become a necessary part of people's daily lives, but it has also attracted the attention of unscrupulous individuals. The Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) reminds the public to be cautious of social media scams and to always...

Release Date: 18 Aug 2023 1920 Views

Introducing the New HKCERT “All-Out Anti-Phishing” Thematic Page

Noticing that hackers are deploying phishing through various means, including email, social media and SMS, phishing attacks have become an increasingly threatening major cyber security threat in Hong Kong. Such phishing scams have posed a great impact to our society that individual victims could suffer from...

Release Date: 16 Aug 2023 1840 Views

Please sign them. Smart contracts?

Smart contract is a program stored in the blockchain. Different from traditional contracts, it does not require third-party intervention. When the contract conditions are met, the program will automatically execute the contract and it cannot be changed In the past, there were...

Release Date: 4 Apr 2022 8587 Views

What You Know about the Cyber Security of NFT

Previously, we have introduced the non-fungible token (NFT) and how to protect crypto wallets. This time, we will discuss the ecosystem of NFT as well as various related parts that can be attacked or defrauded by criminals, and the corresponding security advice...

Release Date: 11 Mar 2022 10796 Views

NFT Boom, How to Protect Your NFT Assets

What is NFT? NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token which is issued in according to the Ethereum ERC721 standard. Different from other cryptocurrencies, each NFT token has a unique ID, so it cannot be duplicated. Also, it can only be traded in its...

Release Date: 24 Jan 2022 12695 Views

Introduction of QR code attacks and countermeasures

QR code, first used by car manufacturers to trace parts, is now widely applied across different sectors. Not long along, we introduced some basic information and common applications of QR code, as well as their related security threats and advices. In this blog, ...

Release Date: 20 Jan 2022 9887 Views

Business as Usual under COVID-19 with Sound “Work from Home” Cyber Security

With the COVID-19 pandemic worsening again, many companies have arranged their staff to work from home (WFH) to reduce the risk of spreading the disease in the community. In light of this development, the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (...

Release Date: 10 Jan 2022 6323 Views

Secure Use of QR Code

QR codes have become a part of our daily life. For example, in terms of consumption, three of the four electronic payment platforms that support the Consumption Voucher Scheme of the HKSAR Government offer QR code payment. Also, in terms of epidemic prevention, QR...

Release Date: 7 Jan 2022 5877 Views

Beware of Cyber Security Risks from Online Shopping and Long Holiday

With Christmas and New Year long holidays just around the corner, the strong festive atmosphere spells another peak season of shopping. Nowadays, as most of us have become accustomed to do our shopping online, we must always maintain good awareness of cyber security. To help...

Release Date: 21 Dec 2021 4761 Views

HKCERT Urges Local IT Users to Patch Apache “Log4j” Vulnerability ASAP

(Hong Kong, 16 December 2021) The Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) of the Hong Kong Productivity Council is urging local IT users to patch their systems as soon as possible in light of the discovery of a critical vulnerability in Apache...

Release Date: 16 Dec 2021 8158 Views

“Hong Kong Cyber Security New Generation Capture the Flag Challenge 2021” Award Presentation Ceremony Recognises Cyber Security Future Talents

The “Hong Kong Cyber Security New Generation Capture the Flag Challenge 2021”, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and its Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT), held its award presentation ceremony today to recognise the outstanding efforts of...

Release Date: 13 Dec 2021 5911 Views

Introducing the New “Fight Ransomware” Webpage

The Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT) had previously launched the “Fight Ransomware” campaign to raise the awareness of SMEs against ransomware, featuring a dedicated Facebook page to introduce the basic information of ransomware, defence tools and useful resources to help...

Release Date: 19 Nov 2021 10328 Views