The Digital Policy Office began its three-day cybersecurity attack-and-defence exercise on 29 October, the third consecutive year it has run the event. Simulated real-world threats are used to test participating organisations’ defences and ability to respond.
The organiser reported 51 defensive teams and 23 attacking teams. Government departments and public bodies are among the defenders, with private organisations invited to join that side for the first time.
Teams may use artificial intelligence to simulate attacks, the acting digital commissioner said, provided this does not affect network services. Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said the exercise aims to improve participants’ defensive capabilities and system resilience.
The acting digital commissioner also said a global cyberattack targeting PHP the previous week had very little impact in Hong Kong. Government departments were notified of response measures within 24 hours.