Key facts
- Ransomware cases rose to 40 in the first nine months of 2026 from 34 a year earlier, police said.
- System intrusion cases fell to 29 from 37, a drop of about 21.6%, police said.
- Technology crime cases fell about 11.5% to 21,573, with losses down about 15.1% to HK$3.897 billion.
- Police said criminals use AI to monitor platform vulnerabilities around the clock and automate some attack steps.
- Police handled about 1.3 million cyber threat intelligence items targeting Hong Kong, up about 32% year on year.
- Police removed or blocked more than 51,000 malicious websites in Interpol's AI-led Operation Serengeti, which Hong Kong police supported.
Hong Kong police recorded 40 ransomware cases in the first nine months of 2026, up from 34 in the same period a year earlier, an increase of about 17.6%, even as overall technology crime fell. Chief Superintendent Raymond Lam Cheuk-ho of the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau said criminals are using AI agents and other forms of artificial intelligence in cyberattacks, with cases seen as recently as the previous month.
Technology crime cases totaled 21,573 in the first nine months of 2026, down from 24,370 a year earlier, a fall of about 11.5%, police said. Losses came to about HK$3.897 billion, down from HK$4.591 billion, a decline of about 15.1%. System intrusion cases fell to 29 from 37, a drop of about 21.6%, while ransomware cases rose.
Police said they handled about 1.3 million cyber threat intelligence items targeting Hong Kong in the period, up about 32% year on year. They found 65 schools using outdated firewall firmware, some of the devices exposed to the internet, and contacted the schools with technical support. Police also said they removed or blocked more than 51,000 malicious websites in Interpol's AI-led Operation Serengeti, which Hong Kong police supported, and that a follow-up operation will expand to 24 jurisdictions.