Hacker Attack on Hong Kong Exchange Website Triggers Halts

Hacker Attack on Hong Kong Exchange Website Triggers Halts

www.businessweek.com

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd., the world’s biggest bourse operator by market value, suspended trading yesterday for companies including lender HSBC Holdings Plc after its website was hacked.

Europe’s largest bank by market capitalization, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and five other stocks were halted after a “malicious attack” on the exchange’s website for corporate filings, Chief Executive Officer Charles Li said yesterday. The website was partially disabled as companies including Hong Kong Exchanges reported earnings.

The bourse joins companies from Sony Corp. to Citigro

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I am getting a little weirded out by all the hacking in the news lately. I can't tell if it is just something that is deemed more news worthy than it used to be, or if there has indeed been a real upswing in attacks.

It looks as if they are not sure what the purpose of the attack was, and were alerted something was wrong when there was a huge uptick in site traffic, prompting the shutdown. Perhaps some sensitive data was stolen.

Disturbing that so many areas of business use such unsecured systems.


I almost wonder if this wasn't something orchestrated by the US.



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Saw this coming years ago. Forget WMD. We could see the whole game changed, destroyed or hijacked by a few thousand sociopathic hackers.

The war of the future will not look like a desert battlefield as much as a desktop computer.

ZG

reply to post by ZeroGhost


Considering that the world is essentially run by computers now I tend to agree. The new battlefield will be cyberspace with countries warring with code instead of bullets.

As if things aren't bad enough! Now the question is, is this legitimate or an excuse to hold trading on these stocks? Honestly, I have no fricking idea what to think anymore!

These all seem like false flags to me. Hackers are the new terrorists, the new boogie man. The people running this show were probably just looking for an excuse to shut the market down, stemming losses, without causing panic.

reply to post by wiandiii


There is always that chance and it really wouldn't be hard for a few key players to just say 'Oh hey guise we just got hacked. Have to close shop. So sorry.' Who is going to argue really? It was shutdown for your own good so you wouldn't be at risk.

Originally posted by Domo1


I almost wonder if this wasn't something orchestrated by the US.


www.businessweek.com
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Does make you wonder, doesn't it?

I had the same thought initially.

reply to post by summer5


I suppose we will probably never know the answer.

It does seem to me that no one ever really gets caught during these capers. Only stupid teenagers seem to be doing time. China had something like 450k hack attacks last year.

reply to post by Domo1


Any why wouldn't the US be covertly interested in sabotaging China via the net?

It's well known that China has been snooping into US government sites, no doubt in attempts to steal information when their transfer student spies come up empty handed.

I say throw our best minds at them.

This is just nature at work making a strong internet. We have been going through it with virus and other hacks since the network started. The strong code remains while the weak falls away. It would be pretty dumb to let the system grow without any testing, then one day bam, it is all over.

I can't believe a stock trading server is THAT insecure. Shame on you for believing that.

It's either an inside job, or a US false flag.

The question is, how many actually have a username and password on a system like that? That's where you point the finger to.

reply to post by Druid42


It certainly could be an inside job but how would you call this a false flag? Are you implying that the US govt. would do this in order to crack down on internet privacy?