PolyU co-organised "Open Source and Software Security Forum" to strengthen cybersecurity in the AI era

The Open Source and Software Security Forum, hosted by the Hong Kong Institute of Science and Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-organised by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Hong Kong Cybersecurity Professional Association, was successfully held at the Chiang Chen Studio Theatre at PolyU on 29 June. The forum brought together representatives from top-notch universities, research institutions, and industry from the Mainland and Hong Kong, pooling their wisdom to build a secure, trusted, and vibrant open source technology ecosystem.

Prof. CAO Jiannong, Vice President (Education) of PolyU, remarked that open source has become a defining trend in the global software industry, and its development and security must be advanced synergistically. He highlighted PolyU’s ongoing efforts to transform AI education by fostering students' capabilities in active learning, exploration, experimentation, collaboration, and practice. By establishing open source innovation platforms and student open source communities, PolyU aims to encourage students to learn open source technologies, understand the associated risks, and thereby better apply these technologies.

During the keynote session, Prof. LUO Xiapu, Associate Dean (Research) of Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences at PolyU, shared insights into the transformative impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) on vulnerability discovery and cybersecurity. He highlighted PolyU’s research achievements in identifying critical vulnerabilities in areas such as blockchain and connected vehicles, significantly improving detection efficiency through AI-powered approaches. Prof. Luo emphasised that an "AI-native" open source security defence system should be built in the future, integrating zero-trust mechanisms throughout the pipeline to uphold the security baseline.

In addition, experts from the HKSAR Government's Digital Policy Office, the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, Fudan University, and the Institute of Software of the Chinese Academy of Sciences delivered insightful presentations on topics ranging from software supply chain security to AI-enabled open source development.

PolyU will continue to strengthen collaboration with partners across academia, industry and government to advance secure and trustworthy digital innovation, contributing to the high-quality development of the digital economy in Hong Kong, the Mainland and beyond.