Skip to content
Trending storiesDeveloping

Health Department's HIV Testing Website Email Suspected of Being Spoofed as Site Suspends Operations

5 reports5 sources4 hours agoUpdate

Start here

AI overview

On 24 October 2026, the Department of Health said the email account of the HIV testing service website (www.hivtest.gov.hk) was suspected of improper use, with someone impersonating the Department of Health in emails or text messages to members of the public claiming recipients were at risk of HIV infection. The department said it was investigating seriously, had so far found no loss or leakage of data, and had reported the matter to the police and notified the Digital Policy Office. The website was suspended from that day, and members of the public could call the AIDS hotline 2780 2211 to book a test. Radio Television Hong Kong reported the same day that the department said the website would remain suspended until cybersecurity experts completed their investigation, and that members of the public could during this period call the AIDS hotline to book free, anonymous and confidential antibody tests. Ming Pao later reported that the department said the website would remain suspended until cybersecurity experts completed a full investigation and confirmed there was no system security risk, and that the impersonation messages claimed recipients should seek medical attention and testing as soon as possible. Other reports said someone had sent relevant emails to members of the public in the name of the website, but did not state the number of people affected. The matter is still being followed up, and the department has not announced further investigation results.

Generated by AI from reporting · updated 1 hour ago

Reporting timeline

Follow the reports to explore different aspects of the story.

24 Oct
  1. 明報·即時港聞
    Health Department's HIV Testing Service Website Email Account Suspected of Being Misused, Suspended from Today

    The Department of Health says an email account on the HIV testing service website is suspected of improper use, with someone impersonating the department in emails or text messages to members of the public claiming recipients are at risk of HIV infection and must seek medical attention and testing as soon as possible. The department is investigating seriously and has so far found no loss or leakage of data. The website is suspended from today until cybersecurity experts complete a full investigation and confirm there is no system security risk.

  2. 香港電台·即時本地
    Department of Health HIV Testing Website Email Account Suspected of Improper Use; Website Suspended from Today

    The email account of the Department of Health's HIV testing service website is suspected of improper use, with someone impersonating the Department of Health to send emails or text messages to members of the public claiming that recipients are at risk of HIV infection. The department said no data loss or leakage has been found so far, and it has reported the matter to the police and notified the Digital Policy Office. The website has been suspended from today until cybersecurity experts complete their investigation. During this period, members of the public can call the AIDS Hotline to book a free, anonymous and confidential antibody test.

  3. 政府新聞處·新聞公報
    Department of Health HIV Testing Service Website Email Account Suspected of Improper Use; Website Suspended from Today

    The Department of Health says the email account of the HIV testing service website (www.hivtest.gov.hk) is suspected of improper use, with someone impersonating the Department of Health to send emails or SMS messages to members of the public claiming that recipients are at risk of HIV infection. The department says no loss or leakage of data has been found so far, and it has reported the matter to the police and notified the Digital Policy Office. The website is suspended from today, and members of the public can call the AIDS hotline 2780 2211 to book a test.

  4. Yahoo 新聞香港
    Health Department HIV Website Email Suspected of Improper Use, Sends Citizens Email Claiming Recipients at Risk of Infection

    Health Department HIV website email suspected of improper use, with someone sending emails to citizens in the name of the website claiming recipients are at risk of infection. Report reproduced from am730; the original did not state the number of people affected or the department's response.

  5. 政府新聞網·新聞速遞
    Department of Health HIV Testing Website Email Suspected of Being Misused; Website Suspended from Today

    The email account of the Department of Health's HIV testing service website is suspected of being improperly used, with someone impersonating the department to send emails or text messages claiming that recipients are at risk of HIV infection. The department is investigating seriously, has so far found no loss or leakage of data, and has reported the matter to the police and notified the Digital Policy Office. The website is suspended from today, and members of the public can call the AIDS hotline 2780 2211 to book a test.

Activity over time for this story

Current activity34·Peak across comparable sources37(24 Oct, 15:00)·Change across comparable sources in 24 hours –

01020304024 Oct15:0024 Oct16:0024 Oct17:0024 Oct18:00

Trends compare the same fully observed participants, which may be fewer than the current activity total. Point or click to view hourly values; use the arrow keys with a keyboard.