On October 18, 2024, the Bu Tian White Hat Hacker Conference took place in Yangpu District, Shanghai. Secretary Xue Kan of the Yangpu District Committee and Vice Chairman Qi Xiangdong of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce were present to witness the signing of a strategic cooperation framework agreement. This agreement, between the Yangpu District People’s Government and relevant enterprises, aims to build a high-level digital security development barrier to promote the high-quality development of the digital economy.
Through this partnership, both parties will work together to establish a “Data Security Headquarters” and enhance collaboration across five key areas: foundational security systems for data elements, protection systems for digital economic infrastructure, secure operation and supervision of digital government, the development of a data security talent ecosystem, and safety in digital application scenarios. This initiative is expected to support the full release of data element value in Shanghai and across the country, helping to ensure the healthy development of the digital economy.
The conference also highlighted the ongoing theme in cybersecurity of offensive versus defensive strategies around vulnerabilities. The Bu Tian platform serves as a vulnerability response system that assists companies in detecting and fixing security flaws while also promoting the professionalization of white hat hackers. These ethical hackers operate using methods typically associated with “black hat” hackers but focus on strengthening security rather than exploiting weaknesses. The platform has become a crucial infrastructure for white hats to collaborate, identify vulnerabilities, and combat cyber threats. Celebrating its 11th anniversary this year, the Bu Tian platform has attracted 138,000 white hat hackers, who have collectively reported over 1.95 million vulnerabilities, providing safety services to 470,000 enterprises. Qi Xiangdong emphasized the platform’s commitment to continuing its collaboration with white hat forces and upholding the white hat ethos to create greater value in protecting cyberspace security.
In recent years, Yangpu District has capitalized on its regional advantages in technological innovation, leveraging collaborations with universities and enterprises to build comprehensive bases for national intelligent social governance and urban scenario innovation centers. The district aims to establish an innovation-driven modern industrial system led by the digital economy, positioning itself as a national pilot zone for the city’s digital economic innovation and development. Secretary Xue stated that cybersecurity is foundational for the growth of the digital economy, and Yangpu has created ample space for the development of the cybersecurity industry alongside its booming digital economy.
During the conference, awards were presented, including the Annual Most Valuable White Hat Award and the Outstanding Contribution White Hat Awards for Public Welfare and Exclusive SRCs. Notable speeches were made by experts including Wang Zhibo, Deputy Dean of the School of Cyber Space Security at Zhejiang University.
From interviews conducted during the event, it was revealed that Yangpu is home to over 7,000 digital economy enterprises, with the software and information service sector seeing a continuous double-digit growth for five years. In 2023, the sector generated a revenue of 260 billion yuan, marking an 18.7% increase, with expectations of maintaining similar growth in 2024.
Yangpu District is also actively exploring policy frameworks, standards, and mechanisms for intelligent social governance, collaborating with universities and enterprises to strengthen the district’s digital infrastructure. In September of this year, Yangpu’s case of “Digital Economy Industrial Cluster” was selected as a typical example of national urban digital transformation.
The Yangpu authorities expressed their commitment to leverage the advantages of a concentrated talent pool in scientific innovation, provide more platforms for communication and collaboration, and create more innovative application scenarios. Their goal is to unify the efforts of government, businesses, universities, and research institutes in contributing to the development of cybersecurity in both Shanghai and the broader nation.
