31st October 2026 – (Hong Kong) The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority said it discovered a data breach affecting about 16,900 mainland‑resident applicants to two international examinations, with exposed information including names, dates of birth and email addresses. The authority apologised to those affected and said it has reported the incident to police and notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, as well as the relevant examination organisers, while cooperating fully with ensuing investigations.
The authority stressed that the compromised platform was used only for certain small‑scale international examinations and is separate from systems handling the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination and the vast majority of other international tests. It said there is currently no evidence that the DSE or other examinations have been impacted. Follow‑up notifications to affected applicants are under way as the scope and cause of the incident continue to be examined.
In a statement issued late on 30th October at about 11.27pm, the authority said it will review security across its information systems, reinforce protective measures and enhance monitoring. It added that appropriate further actions will be taken in line with the findings of the investigation to mitigate risks and prevent any recurrence.