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Secretary for Innovation & Technology Nicholas Yang
Good governance and compliance in information security are essential in protecting enterprises against cyber threats.
As Asia's world city, Hong Kong is harnessing the full potential of information and communications technology (ICT) and our excellent infrastructure. Corporations are fast expanding their businesses with the adoption of e-commerce and cloud computing. Innovative e-services such as mobile payment and virtual shopping malls also make our lives more convenient. And we are also having a lot more fun with the latest technologies such as GPS and virtual and augmented reality.
While the advent of technology has facilitated new business models and opportunities for innovation, it has also brought about new risks, as our valued assets are more often in virtual form, and becoming more vulnerable to cyber threats. We therefore encourage the ICT industry to address these challenges by developing effective and innovative solutions and services. We are entering a new era of digital transformation and new forms of ICT products and services, including IoT (Internet of Things), big data, AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning, all becoming reality. Trust is vital to today's digital businesses and a cornerstone to the success in promoting and launching new cyber services.
The Hong Kong SAR Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into a smart city - with the dual objective of driving Hong Kong's economic development and also improving our citizens' quality of living. We are now formulating a blueprint for smart city development in Hong Kong, covering policy objectives, strategy, development plans and infrastructure. New opportunities aside, smart city development will also bring forth new challenges and threats to cyber security.
To maintain a stable and reliable cyber environment, protecting critical information infrastructure is a vital task for all of us. Large-scale cyber attacks on critical infrastructure could be devastating and could affect everyone, including the Government, businesses and individuals. To this end, I would appeal to all ICT professionals to consider the essence of secure-by-design in developing new digital products and services. We should also get to know the various forms of new cyber threats and stand ready to anticipate and defend against them.
Hong Kong is an international and open city. We must stay vigilant against cyber attacks at all times and co-operate with our international counterparts. The Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT), managed by the Hong Kong Productivity Council, is the centre for co-ordination of computer security incident response for local enterprises and Internet users in Hong Kong. Apart from facilitating information dissemination and providing advices on preventive measures against security threats, the HKCERT collaborates with relevant bodies to co-ordinate response actions in Hong Kong. As a member of the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams and the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Teams, the HKCERT also exchanges intelligence and collaborates with other CERTs on cross-border security incidents.
The Government will continue to join hands with the industry, professional bodies and the general public to enhance our capability and awareness in addressing cyber security threats. I look forward to all the speakers and participants of today's Summit sharing their expertise and experience in fighting cyber attacks globally.
Secretary for Innovation & Technology Nicholas Yang gave these remarks at the Information Security Summit 2016 on September 12.
