Data of nearly 17,000 mainland exam candidates leaked in HKEAA cybersecurity breach

Personal information belonging to roughly 16,900 mainland residents who registered for two international tests has been compromised in a cybersecurity breach, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority confirmed on Friday evening.

The authority stated that the incident was uncovered a day earlier and involved systems supporting specific international assessments. Compromised records include candidate names, dates of birth, and email addresses.

Authorities notified as inquiry launched

Following the discovery, the examinations body reported the case to the police and formally notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, pledging complete cooperation with ongoing investigations.

Offering an apology to those affected, the authority assured that all feasible steps are being taken to mitigate any potential fallout. Officials have also alerted the respective overseas examination boards and are currently arranging direct notifications to impacted candidates. A dedicated telephone hotline and an email inquiry channel have been set up to assist the public.

Core HKDSE systems remain unaffected

The authority stressed that the compromised platform was restricted to select, small-scale international examinations. Major assessments, including the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination and the vast majority of other international qualifications, operate on independent platforms.

Officials affirmed that there is currently no indication that the HKDSE or other testing services have been compromised. Technical teams have initiated a full security sweep and comprehensive review across all IT infrastructure to establish the root cause and reinforce monitoring protocols.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓