Data of 100,000 Singapore defence personnel possibly ‘compromised’
- Two security force vendors in Singapore affected by ‘malware incidents’
- Ministry of Defence says ‘may have compromised the confidentiality of our personnel’s personal data’
The personal data of about 100,000 Singapore defence personnel may have been leaked in yet another cyberattack in the city state.
Sensitive information held by two security force vendors, including full names, identification details, and a combination of contact numbers, email and residential addresses could be included in the potential data exposure, according to a statement published on the ministry’s website on Saturday.
ST Logistics’ systems, which suffered a malware attack, held the personal data of 2,400 Ministry of Defence and Singapore Armed Forces employees, while HMI Institute of Health Sciences’ system contains the information of about 98,000 security force personnel, the statement said.
“Although MINDEF/SAF’s systems and operations were not affected, the malware incidents in these vendor companies may have compromised the confidentiality of our personnel’s personal data. We will review the cybersecurity standards of our vendors to ensure that they are able to protect our personnel’s personal data and information,” Defence Cyber Chief Brigadier-General Mark Tan said in the statement.
The ministry’s statement said that preliminary investigations indicated that personal data “could have been leaked” in the ST Logistics incident and the likelihood of a data leak from the HMI Institute was “low”.
Singapore, a trade-reliant nation with a rapidly ageing population, is trying to restructure its economy to make it a global centre of innovation. As a hyper-connected financial hub, it’s also been a recent target for hackers.