Singapore Faces "Serious" China-Linked Cyberattack
The attack, a kind of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), poses a serious danger to the city-state, Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said in a speech late Friday.
An APT refers to a cyberattack where an intruder establishes and maintains unauthorised access to a target, remaining undetected for a sustained period of time.
"I can say that it is serious and it is ongoing. And it has been identified to be UNC3886," he said.
Shanmugam, who is also home affairs minister, did not elaborate on the group's sponsors or the origin of the attack.
But Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant described UNC3886 as a "highly adept China-nexus cyber espionage group".
APT actors typically steal sensitive information and disrupt essential services, such as healthcare, telecoms, water, transport and power, minister Shanmugam said.
"If it succeeds, it can conduct espionage and it can cause major disruption to Singapore and Singaporeans," he added.
A successful breach of Singapore's power system, for example, could wreak havoc with the electricity supply, with knock-on effects on essential services, such as healthcare and transport.
"There are also economic implications. Our banks, airports and industries would not be able to operate. Our economy can be substantially affected," he said.
Between 2021 and 2024, suspected APTs against Singapore increased more than fourfold.
A cyber breach on a public healthcare cluster in 2018 accessed the medication records of about 160,000 patients, including then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.
On Saturday, China's embassy in Singapore expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with media reports linking UNC3886 to China.
In a statement, the embassy said it "firmly opposes any unwarranted smearing of China" and that "in fact, China is one of the main victims of cyberattacks".
The statement added: "China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law. China does not encourage, support, or condone hacking activities."
The attack on Singapore's critical infrastructure "highlights the extraordinary challenges posed by APT actors," said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at US-based cybersecurity firm Tenable.
"Combating such stealthy opponents is becoming increasingly demanding as the scale and complexity of IT infrastructure that organisations and nations must defend continues to grow," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
A Rebel within
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was V S Achuthanandan's wont to see divides everywhere. Where none existed, he would create one. He would position himself on one side and wage a battle. He has won some; lost some, and transformed himself in the process. His political longevity has surprised and irked many, for he was the archetypal voice of opposition – in his party and the larger society. As CPM state secretary (1980-1992), he ruled with an iron fist. Later on, however, he transformed himself into a critical insider, waging pitched battles against power concentrated in the hands of one-time party proteges. He was a hawk, who wouldn't budge from his notions of doctrinal purity, no matter what. That essentially meant he had to swim against the organisational tide. Though he was one of the 32 founding leaders of CPM in 1964, his deviation from the party line began the very next year. In 1964-65, almost the entire CPM leadership was accused of being Chinese spies and jailed during the India-China war. As a prisoner at the Poojappura Central Prison, VS organised prisoners and exhorted them to donate blood for Indian soldiers. The party prison committee rejected his proposal saying it went against Marxist-Leninist principles.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
FBI Overlooked Key Evidence In Hillary Clinton Email Probe, Declassified Files Reveal
Last Updated: A source had handed over thumb drives to FBI, which contained State Department data obtained through cyber intrusions, including emails from then-President Barack Obama and others The FBI gave only a cursory review to potentially critical evidence during its investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, according to a portion of a watchdog report revealed Monday, as reported by the New York Post. A confidential source had handed over thumb drives to the FBI, which contained State Department data obtained through cyber intrusions, including emails from then-President Barack Obama and others. This revelation comes from a declassified appendix to the June 2018 Justice Department inspector general report. Despite the significance of the content, the FBI chose not to 'comprehensively" analyse the thumb drives, citing concerns over individual data that may have been swept up during the hack. This decision came even though an internal draft memo concluded that a full review was necessary to 'assess the national security risks" tied to Clinton's use of a private server. 'This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI's investigation of former Secretary Clinton's email usage and mishandling of highly classified information," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), about the appendix. The original report was authored by then-DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who currently serves in the same capacity at both the Federal Reserve Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Whether the FBI has conducted a more thorough investigation of the thumb drives since the 2018 report remains unknown. During the 2016 presidential campaign, the FBI's Cyber Division reportedly tried to gain access to the hard drives for a targeted search related to the Clinton investigation. However, that request was denied, according to witness accounts cited in the watchdog report. Then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe later sent a memo to then-US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, asking to use the drives for the bureau's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. That request was also denied due to concerns that the FBI's search parameters were overly broad and insufficiently protective of privileged information. Although the drives were 'queried" at least three times, the purposes of those searches were redacted. One of the queries came from former special counsel Robert Mueller's team. According to the report, a witness who searched for Clinton's name found a redacted number of results that included ' The New York Post reported that Senator Grassley criticised former FBI Director James Comey for failing to 'perform fundamental investigative work," adding that the bureau had 'left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor." view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 09:06 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Trump ‘ended wars, like India and Pakistan': White House lists US president's ‘achievements' in past 6 months
White House press briefing, US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt credited President Donald Trump with brokering peace between historic rivals India and Pakistan — among other key foreign policy achievements. 'Look at what the president (US President Donald Trump) has done on the world stage. He has ended wars, like India and Pakistan. He continues to work aggressively to end the war in Russia and Ukraine,' Leavitt declared, highlighting Donald Trump's ongoing diplomatic initiatives. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for diffusing tensions between India and Pakistan — a narrative he has echoed on multiple occasions since his second term. The latest assertion came through White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who declared, 'He has ended wars, like India and Pakistan,' during a press briefing. The US president has repeatedly claimed that India and Pakistan were on the verge of a nuclear war, which he 'stopped' using the trade bait. Though neither India nor Pakistan officially acknowledged any such role, Trump has consistently positioned himself as a peace-broker in South Asia. Karoline Leavitt listed the achievements of Donald Trump in the six months of his second term as US President. In that she listed 'controlling Biden-era inflation prices', and 'securing American borderlands and homeland', among other 'achievements'. Leavitt also emphasised Donald Trump's assertive actions in the Middle East, particularly regarding Iran and the Israel-Gaza conflict. 'He completely obliterated Iran's nuclear sites. He has continued to hopefully negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, to end that conflict and release all of the hostages,' she said. On the outcome of these efforts, Leavitt added, 'We've seen many of the hostages released as a result of this president's efforts.' The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli and Hamas delegations have been locked in US-backed ceasefire talks in Doha since 6 July, working towards a potential 60-day truce. Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism that a new hostage agreement is close at hand. On Friday, Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Ubaida issued a stark warning about the fragile state of negotiations. 'We are closely monitoring the ongoing negotiations and hope they will result in an agreement that guarantees the cessation of the war against our people, the withdrawal of occupation forces, and the relief of our people,' he said in a video statement, according to The Jerusalem Post. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed last week that peace efforts with Hamas were '85% of the way' towards a breakthrough before Trump assumed office. Nonetheless, the Trump administration's early months reportedly saw significant progress on hostage talks after prolonged deadlock.
