Hong Kong Cybersecurity Attack and Defence Drill 2026 launched today
The Hong Kong Cybersecurity Attack and Defence Drill 2026 was launched today (October 29) to test the defence mechanism and incident response capabilities of participating organisations over three consecutive days through simulated cyber threat scenarios.
The drill is spearheaded by the Digital Policy Office (DPO) in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner of Critical Infrastructure (Computer-system Security) of the Security Bureau, the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited, Cyberport, the Hong Kong Cybersecurity Professional Association and the Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology. For the first time, this year’s drill has invited private enterprises to join as defending teams to undergo practical combat training alongside government departments and public organisations, thereby enhancing Hong Kong’s overall cybersecurity protection and resilience.
Addressing the opening ceremony, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said, “The Government adopts a holistic approach to development and security, bolstering our cybersecurity defence system by deepening cybersecurity protection and collaboration.” He highlighted that the key to building a robust cybersecurity defensive line relies on translating defence into concrete actions and consistently testing and honing defensive capabilities of participating departments and organisations through practical combat.
By employing practical combat scenarios, the Hong Kong Cybersecurity Attack and Defence Drill enables attacking teams (the Red Teams) and defending teams (the Blue Teams) to engage in real-world attack and defence exercises under simulated cyber threat environments. The Red Teams will try to identify system vulnerabilities and test the defensive response from the Blue Teams, thereby enhancing participating organisations’ practical handling and emergency response capabilities when facing various cyber threats. The drill not only tests the cybersecurity defence capabilities of the Blue Teams, but also serves as an important platform to unite the strengths of the Government, the cybersecurity industry, and various sectors of the society in order to build a secure cyber environment together.
This year’s drill continues to receive enthusiastic responses from all parties and its overall scale has been further expanded. A total of 51 Blue Teams from 28 government departments as well as 23 public organisations and private enterprises are participating with their designated information systems in the drill. Meanwhile, the 23 Red Teams comprise 15 experienced Hong Kong and Mainland cybersecurity professional organisations, four tertiary institutions, three leading attacking teams recommended by the Cyberspace Administration of Guangdong Province, and one attacking team deployed by the DPO, fully reflecting the exchange and collaboration in cybersecurity between Guangdong and Hong Kong as well as joint efforts in cultivating cybersecurity talent. The DPO has also invited 17 cybersecurity firms from Hong Kong and the Mainland with extensive drill experience to provide technical support to participating Blue Teams, joining forces to build a high-level cybersecurity shield for Hong Kong. Representatives from more than 80 organisations are also attending as observers to learn more about the drill process, serving as a reference for future drills.
The drill spans three days and two nights for a total of 60 hours, and will end on the evening of October 31 (Saturday).
END
Media Enquiry:
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited
Marketing and Communication Department
Tel：(852) 2319 3835
Email：marketing@hkirc.hk
About the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited
Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) is a not-for-profit and non-statutory corporation designated by the HKSAR Government to administer the registration of Internet domain names under .hk and .香港 country-code top level domains. The HKIRC provides registration services through its registrars for domain names ending with .com.hk, .org.hk, .gov.hk, .edu.hk, .net.hk, .idv.hk, 公司.香港, .組織.香港, .政府.香港, .教育.香港, .網絡.香港, .個人.香港, .hk and .香港.