"Innovate with Grace, Peace in Cyberspace" Thematic Trams Set Off AI Enhances Phishing's Deceptive Capabilities Over 60% of Security Incidents in H1 2026 Involved Phishing Attacks

(Hong Kong, 28 August 2026) To further enhance public awareness of cybersecurity, the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT), the Digital Policy Office, and the Hong Kong Police Force today held the “Innovate with Grace, Peace in Cyberspace” Tram Promotion Launching Ceremony at the Whitty Street Tram Depot. Starting today until 24 September, two thematic trams will serve as “mobile cybersecurity education stations”, touring Hong Kong Island for four weeks. Featuring winning entries from the AI-Generated Four-Panel Comic Contest and practical anti-scam tips, the trams aim to bring cybersecurity knowledge into the community and help citizens enhance their scam prevention capabilities in the AI era.

Professor SUN Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry said, “As innovative technologies such as AI gradually integrate into everyday life, society is embarking on an innovation and technology journey. To ensure that this journey is steadier, and more enduring, cybersecurity is an indispensable safeguard. Maintaining cybersecurity not only protects the public and supports the day-to-day functioning of society, but also helps drive high-quality development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong.”

Mr Mohamed BUTT, MH, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council said, “AI is rapidly integrating into all sectors. While it improves efficiency, it also enables cyberattack methods to become more precise. In response to the new challenges brought by AI, HKCERT will continue to strengthen its work in three areas—talent development, enterprise support, and public education. Through threat monitoring, talent training, and incident response support, we aim to help society build cyber resilience and safely embrace the digital future.”

AI Reshapes Cyberattack Patterns Rising Threats from Phishing and Social Engineering
According to HKCERT's statistics for the first half of 2026, a total of 5,305 phishing cases were recorded from January to June 2026, representing an increase of about 25% compared with the same period in 2025. Phishing accounted for approximately 63% of security incidents in the first half of this year, making it the most prevalent type of cyber threat. In addition to phishing, there were 1,377 botnet cases and a combined total of 713 malware hosting and malware-targeted cases during the same period. HKCERT noted that AI is reshaping the cybersecurity risk landscape in two keyways.

First, generative AI has significantly enhanced attack efficiency. Attackers can rapidly generate fraudulent messages tailored to local contexts and communication styles, including fake bank notifications, delivery SMS messages, online shopping platform messages, and even internal corporate communications, substantially increasing the authenticity and personalisation of scam content. Second, attack targets are shifting from “systems” to “people.” While past attacks primarily exploited technical vulnerabilities to infiltrate systems, current attacks increasingly employ social engineering tactics, using fraudulent messages, fake login pages, and deepfake content to exploit trust between individuals. As AI reduces production costs and improves verisimilitude, it has become increasingly difficult for the public to identify such threats.

In response to the new norm of “seeing is not necessarily believing,” enhancing cybersecurity is no longer merely a technical issue. To this end, HKCERT will strengthen its efforts in three areas — talent development, enterprise support, and public education, to comprehensively enhance Hong Kong’s cyber resilience.

1) Nurturing Cybersecurity Talent: Encouraging the Use of AI to Enhance Practical Capabilities
In terms of talent development, HKCERT will commence recruitment for the “HKCERT Capture the Flag Challenge 2026” in September, with the finals scheduled for January next year. The competition focuses on practical simulations and encourages participants to leverage AI for analysis and problem-solving, with the aim of identifying more cybersecurity talent and expanding Hong Kong's cybersecurity talent pool. HKCERT hopes the competition will spark younger generations' interest in cybersecurity and nurture future cybersecurity professionals.

2) Supporting SMEs in Enhancing Cybersecurity Capabilities: Cybersecurity Service Provider Connect Programme to Introduce Two New Features in October
In terms of enterprise support, HKCERT operates a free 24-hour hotline that accepts security incident reports and assistance requests year-round. The “Cybersecurity Service Provider Connect Programme”, launched last year, is approaching its first anniversary. The scheme aims to assist local enterprises, particularly SMEs, in finding suitable cybersecurity service providers more effectively and enhancing overall cyber protection capabilities. To date, 25 cybersecurity service providers have passed the vetting process and joined the platform.

To further improve matching efficiency, HKCERT will introduce two new features in October this year: a “Demand Matching Function” that allows enterprises to submit their cybersecurity needs and have the platform assist in matching them with suitable service providers; and new “Industry Tag” and “Price Tag” classification features to help enterprises filter service providers that meet their needs more quickly and improve search accuracy. HKCERT aims to lower the barriers for enterprises seeking cybersecurity services through platform enhancements, enabling businesses of various scales and industries to access professional support more conveniently.

3) Strengthening Public Education: Raising Anti-Scam and Cybersecurity Awareness in the AI Era
In terms of public education, an HKCERT Cybersecurity Corner has been set up at the HKPC building for public visits. HKCERT will actively support the HKSAR Government’s drive for the “AI for All” Inclusive Programme. Through “AI for All” initiative and related training activities, digital literacy and cybersecurity awareness among the public and industry can be enhanced, promoting the safe use of AI and various digital technologies across society.

Award-Winning AI Comics Featured on Trams; Pop-Up Interactive Game Booths to Promote Cybersecurity Awareness
The recently held “AI-Generated Four-Panel Comic Contest” attracted over 3,800 participants from among students and the general public, with the Secondary School category accounting for 73%, Primary School category 15%, and Open category 12%, reflecting strong interest among young people in AI creation and cybersecurity topics. Over 95% of participants created their work using general-purpose generative AI models, indicating a widespread adoption of feature-rich, low-barrier AI tools among the public, while only 5% used specialised generative AI models.

Coming up in September, the Cybersecurity Awareness Week will present the “Innovate with Grace, Peace in Cyberspace” interactive game pop-up booths over two consecutive weekends, enabling the public to learn through fun and engaging experiences, how to identify emerging cybersecurity threats, such as deepfake technology and misinformation. The public is warmly encouraged to take part.

For more practical cybersecurity tools, the latest security alerts, and promotional event details, please visit the HKCERT website（www.hkcert.org）.

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The Launching Ceremony of the “Innovate with Grace, Peace in Cyberspace” Tram Promotion was held today (August 28). Officiating guests included (from left to right) Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Digital Officer of Hong Kong Productivity Council, Ms Carmen LEUNG, Acting Chief Superintendent of Police of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, Hong Kong Police Force, Professor SUN Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Mr Daniel CHEUNG, JP, Acting Commissioner for Digital Policy Office and Mr Mohamed BUTT, MH, Executive Director of Hong Kong Productivity Council, who together officiated the launching ceremony.

Officiating guests and organisation representatives posed for a group photo at the launching ceremony, witnessing the official launch of the “Innovate with Grace, Peace in Cyberspace” thematic trams.

Professor SUN Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry said in his opening remarks at the Launching Ceremony of the “Innovation with Grace, Peace in Cyberspace” Tram Promotion that society is embarking on an innovation and technology journey, to ensure that this journey is steadier, and more enduring, cybersecurity is an indispensable safeguard.

Mr Mohamed BUTT, MH, Executive Director of Hong Kong Productivity Council pointed out that in response to the new challenges brought by AI, HKCERT will continue to strengthen its work in three areas—talent development, enterprise support, and public education, aiming to help society build cyber resilience and safely embrace the digital future.

Two “Innovate with Grace, Peace in Cyberspace” thematic painted trams, featuring AI-generated four-panel comic winning entries and practical cybersecurity tips, will tour Hong Kong Island from today until 24 September, reminding citizens to strengthen their cybersecurity awareness.