Cyber security guardians in HA

“In the fast-changing digital era, cybercriminals are constantly devising new ways to attack individuals and organisations, so we need to be on our toes,” says William Wong, Systems Manager of the Information Security Office of the Hospital Authority (HA). He is responsible for designing, implementing and monitoring the cybersecurity assurance process to safeguard the organisation’s critical information assets. His work has been recognised by the industry and he was awarded the Gold Award in the Cyber Security Professional Awards (CSPA). “This is a recognition of our work and the HA’s ability to defend itself against cyber attacks,” William explains.

Kevin Tsui, System Analyst and Jacky Wong, Systems Manager of the Security Operations Centre, are the winners of the Silver and Merit Awards respectively. Kevin plays a critical role in enhancing the HA’s cybersecurity capabilities. Jacky oversees the 24/7 operations of the Centre, which involves monitoring, analysing, and responding to security incidents. “This award is not a personal achievement, but the result of the concerted efforts of all colleagues,” Kevin says. “For example, through the reporting of phishing emails and the use of strong passwords, we have been able to prevent hacking and safeguard HA’s network and data.”

Jacky advises his colleagues to share their cyber security knowledge with their family and friends. “Cyber security requires strategy and tactics. To borrow the wisdom of Sun Tzu’s Art of War – ‘Knowing the enemy and knowing yourself is the only way to fight a hundred battles without getting into a critical situation. We need to understand our weaknesses, pay close attention to potential threats,” he continues. “We must also ‘discover the enemy’s dispositions and remain invisible ourselves’, that is, to hide our real information assets to prevent hackers or malicious attackers from discovering our vulnerabilities.”

CSPA is co-organised by the Hong Kong Police Force, the Government Computer Emergency Response Team Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre. It aims to recognise the contributions made by cyber security personnel. 40 awardees were selected from 130 participants across eight sectors this year, including Banking and Finance, Telecommunications Services, Transportation and Public Utilities, etc.