{
  "id": 19039823,
  "title": "Hong Kong records nearly 18% rise in ransomware cases amid drop in tech crime",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/hong-kong-records-nearly-18-rise-in-ransomware-cases-amid-drop-in",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-08T23:00:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3373691/hong-kong-records-nearly-18-rise-ransomware-cases-amid-drop-tech-crime"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hong Kong has witnessed a near 18 percent increase in ransomware incidents during the first three quarters of this year, despite a general decline in technology-related crime, according to police. Chief Superintendent Raymond Lam of the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau attributed the surge to AI-assisted cyberattacks, stating that AI increases the speed, volume, and effectiveness of such attacks. In response, police have deployed an AI-powered system to swiftly detect potentially fraudulent websites, which played a crucial role in a year-long joint operation with Interpol to remove over 51,000 phishing links. From January to September, Hong Kong recorded 21,573 technology crime cases, a 11.5 percent decrease from the 24,370 reported in the same period last year. However, ransomware cases rose by 17.6 percent to 40, while hacking cases dropped by 21.6 percent from 37 to 29. Lam warned that AI-driven attacks reduce costs and emphasized the need for companies to maintain up-to-date computer systems. The force also used its AI analysis engine, named Rapid, during the operation, which analyzed source codes, websites, and web domain indicators to identify suspicious online entities. The operation investigated more than 57,000 phishing links, removing over 51,000 of them and sharing intelligence with 47 jurisdictions. Around 1,700 victims were identified. Additionally, the force detected around 1.3 million online hazards in the first three quarters of this year, a 32 percent increase from the previous year. Around 350,599 of these threats were phishing attempts, while 321,393 were system scanning threats and 210,211 were malware instances. Superintendent Rachel Hui warned that unpatched vulnerabilities could serve as gateways for hackers to infiltrate systems and create botnets.",
  "summary": "Hong Kong has recorded a nearly 18 per cent rise in ransomware cases in the first three quarters of this year despite an overall drop in technology crime, with police attributing the rise to artificial intelligence-aided attacks. Chief Superintendent Raymond Lam Cheuk-ho of the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau said police had recorded cases of AI agents and other forms of artificial…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/nvidia-chips-pile-up-in-hong-kong-as-china-withholds-import-approval",
        "published": "2026-11-05T11:49:01.000Z"
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      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/600-000-nvidia-chips-pile-up-in-hong-kong-awaiting-chinas-import",
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/nvidia-chips-stuck-in-hong-kong-over-china-approval",
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        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Nvidia chips pile up in Hong Kong as China withholds import approval",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/nvidia-chips-pile-up-in-hong-kong-as-china-withholds-import-approval",
        "published": "2026-11-06T03:47:43.000Z"
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      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}