Data from the Cybersecurity Incident Alert and Response Centre shows that the number of cyberattacks and espionage activities targeting Macau’s critical infrastructure has continued to increase year by year, from 1,850 per day in 2020 to 5,800 per day in the first three quarters of this year, but the number of security incidents caused by the attacks has not increased correspondingly but “significantly” dropped, the Office of the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, announced in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, the number of cybersecurity incidents dropped from 20 in 2021 to 12 last year and to seven in the first three quarters of this year, which was proof of Macau’s cybersecurity management and the respective operators’ increasing technical capabilities of being able to withstand cyberattacks.

The statement said that Macau’s cybersecurity system operates smoothly, but still faces major challenges, especially serious risks posed by professional hacking groups and even state-sponsored hackers, the statement said.

The Cybersecurity Commission, the Cybersecurity Incident Alert and Response Centre, various government entities supervising the various operators of the city’s “critical infrastructures” – officially known as Cybersecurity Supervisory Entities, will work together to safeguard the city’s cybersecurity in line with national security, the statement said.

The statement stressed that although most private companies and associations are not regulated by the Cybersecurity Law, they also face cybersecurity risks and are targets of cybercrimes.

The Cybersecurity Law has been in effect for four years since December 22, 2019, the statement noted, adding that a technical guide on Vulnerability Management will be released by the end of this year to encourage local operators to improve their technical capabilities in vulnerability management. 

This undated file photo downloaded from the website of the Office of the Secretary for Security yesterday shows its headquarters in Quartel de São Francisco (São Francisco Barracks).