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The Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau (CSTCB) held the cross-border Counter Cyber and Physical Terrorism Joint Exercise codenamed BATTLEAIR in the third quarter in collaboration with INTERPOL, Singapore Police Force, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and Macao Judiciary Police (MJP) to further enhance the overall capabilities of the governments and major infrastructure organisations (MIOs) in prevention, detection, intelligence sharing and communication coordination.
The exercise was conducted in two phases. Phase I, which was the tabletop exercise held on August 14, was participated by over 140 members from the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) of Hong Kong, Singapore and Macao, INTERPOL and four MIOs, namely the Civil Aviation Department, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), Aviation Security Company Limited (AVSECO) and Companhia de Electricidade de Macau (CEM). The exercise simulated a scenario in which terrorists launched cyber and physical attacks against tripartite major infrastructures to test the collaborative mechanisms for cyber counter-terrorism among the three areas for ensuring that LEAs of various places can effectively respond to various types of cyber and physical terrorist activities.
Phase II of the exercise, which was conducted on-site on September 21, involved over 230 officers from Hong Kong, Macao and overseas. In addition to INTERPOL and MJP, a number of departments and organisations in Hong Kong, including CSTCB, Airport District, Emergency Unit of New Territories South, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau, Police Tactical Unit, AAHK and AVSECO, participated in the physical exercise. The exercise simulated a scenario in which four terrorists launched cyberattacks against Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and CEM to paralyse public services and cause public panic. During the exercise, terrorists not only placed suspicious items and operated drones to create chaos but also attempted to carry out armed attacks on members of the public. To address the cyber security incident in HKIA, CSTCB officers conducted incident response, digital forensics and system recovery works. They also shared intelligence with INTERPOL and MJP, which ultimately led to the arrest of all terrorists involved.
KPMG Advisory (Hong Kong) Limited was invited for the first time to provide insights and participate in the exercise as a member of Cyber Security Action Task Force to promote collaboration among public and private organisations.
