HK trader arrested for hacking online exchange

Hong Kong police have arrested a businessman for the hacking attacks on the Hong Kong stock exchange earlier this month. Police said the suspect, who they described as 29 years old, is detained in Kwuntung, according to a report Friday night on Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). The RTHK report, which did not name the suspect, said that he was accused of gaining access to a computer with dishonest or criminal intent. For two days last week, hackers attacked the site of the Hong Kong stock exchange, even as authorities initially indicated the attacks originated from "outside Hong Kong." The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) also said that it has put filters in place to ward off further attacks on its website. The website came under attack last Aug. 10, prompting HKEx to halt afternoon trading on that day. But since Wednesday's interruption, HKEx said its Information Technology team has been working closely with local and overseas security experts to investigate the cause of the attack and restore normal service. Initial investigation showed the attacks were deliberate and involved a "mixture" of techniques. "In the course of the investigation, it was determined that a mixture of attacking techniques had been deployed to intentionally interrupt the operation of the HKExnews website. The malicious traffic originated from a network of personal computers, the majority of which were based outside Hong Kong," it said. For now, HKEx said it is also in close cooperation with the Technology Crime Division of the Hong Kong police. Also, it has adopted a series of measures to ensure the market functions normally and investors continue to have timely access to announcements by issuers. — TJD, GMA News