How to Protect Your Business from Phishing Attacks in Hong Kong: A Practical Guide

Phishing remains one of the most common and damaging cyber threats facing businesses in Hong Kong. Despite advances in email security and endpoint protection, attackers continue to refine their techniques, using increasingly convincing emails, fake login pages, and even AI-generated messages to trick employees into handing over credentials or clicking malicious links. For organisations of all sizes, understanding how phishing works and what practical steps you can take to reduce your exposure is no longer optional.

Why Phishing Attacks Are on the Rise in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s position as a global financial and trading hub makes it a high-value target for cybercriminals. The city’s dense concentration of professional services firms, banks, and multinational regional offices means attackers know there are valuable credentials and financial data to be harvested. Business email compromise, where attackers impersonate executives or suppliers to authorise fraudulent payments, has become particularly prevalent across the APAC region.

The shift to hybrid and remote work has also expanded the attack surface. Employees accessing corporate systems from personal devices and home networks are more vulnerable to phishing attempts, especially when security controls designed for the office are not fully replicated at home.

Practical Steps to Defend Against Phishing

Protecting your business from phishing does not require a massive security budget, but it does require a layered approach that combines technology, process, and people.

Email filtering and anti-phishing tools should be your first line of defence. Solutions like Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can detect and quarantine suspicious messages before they reach user inboxes. These tools analyse sender reputation, embedded links, and attachment behaviour to flag threats in real time.

Multi-factor authentication is one of the most effective safeguards you can implement. Even if an employee’s password is compromised through a phishing attack, MFA prevents the attacker from gaining access without a second form of verification. Every business should enforce MFA across all cloud platforms, especially Microsoft 365, VPN, and remote desktop services.

Security awareness training is just as important as any technology investment. Regular phishing simulation exercises help employees recognise suspicious messages in a controlled setting, and the results give your IT team visibility into which departments or individuals are most at risk. Training should be ongoing rather than a one-off event, with content updated to reflect the latest attack techniques.

Finally, have an incident response plan in place. When a phishing email does get through, your team needs to know exactly what to do: who to contact, how to isolate the affected account, and how to assess whether data has been compromised. A well-practised response plan can dramatically reduce the damage from a successful attack.

How PTS Can Help Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Posture

Whether you are looking to implement phishing simulations, tighten your email security, or develop a comprehensive cybersecurity policy framework, PTS Managed Services provides practical, business-focused cybersecurity support for companies in Hong Kong and across APAC. Our team can assess your current exposure, recommend targeted improvements, and deliver ongoing monitoring to keep your organisation safe. Get in touch to learn more about our cybersecurity services.

Related reading: 19 Cybersecurity Policies Every Business Needs | How to Choose the Right IT Support Provider in Hong Kong