State actors are likely behind the Singapore cyberattack

Posted 10:18 PM, 21 July 2018 [19659003] SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – State actors are likely behind the biggest cyber-attack in Singapore to date, security experts say, citing the scale and sophistication of hacking. hit the medical data of about a quarter of the population. The city-state announced Friday (July 20th) that hackers had penetrated a government database and stolen the health records of 1.5 million Singaporeans, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who was specifically targeted in the government. "unprecedented" attack. 19659005] Singapore's health minister said the strike was "a deliberate, targeted and well-planned attack, not work." While officials refused to comment on the identity of hackers citing "operational security" , experts told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the complexity of the attack and its focus on targets like the Prime Minister have designated the hand of an actor. state

"An actor of cyber espionage could take advantage of the disclosure of sensitive medical information … to coerce an individual in a position of interest to conduct espionage activities." of the company, said Eric Hoh, Asia-Pacific president of the FireEye cybersecurity company.

Mr. Hoh told the national channel Channel NewsAsia that the attack was a "persistent threat advanced. "[19659004] "They tend to be well financed, well financed and very sophisticated."

Russia – who is accused of interference in the US presidential election – China, Iran and North Korea

However, analysts would not be drawn into speculation about who might be behind the hacking or why Singapore was targeted

The attack began two weeks after the rich city. The historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Jeff Middleton, chief executive of cyber security consulting firm Lantium, said health care data is of particular interest to hackers . "A lot of information about a person's health can be gleaned from the medications that they take," Middleton told AFP on Saturday, July 21st.

"Any non-public health information could be used to extort money. . Russian spying services have a long history in this area. "

Medical information, such as personal data, can also be easily monetized on criminal forums," said Sanjay Aurora, chief executive officer of Darktrace Asia-Pacific, a more sinister reason to attack would be to cause widespread disruption and systemic damage to the health service – as a fundamental part of the critical infrastructure – or undermining confidence in a nation's ability to protect personal data, "he said. declared

Hyper-connected

Today, cybercriminals target more than individuals or banks, said Shahnawaz Backer, regional security specialist at F5 Networks. equally likely targets, as evidenced by recent attacks in Singapore, "said Backer.

"As Singapore embraces the digital revolution, security breaches are inevitable – our growing digital footprint is growing every day, and businesses must take strict measures to protect and protect their data."

Rich Singapore is hyper-connected and on a will to digitize government records and essential services, including public medical records hospitals and clinics can share via a centralized database.

But the authorities have held back these plans while they are investigating the violation, a former judge will lead a piracy investigation

. With regard to the Prime Minister's data and the reasons why he was targeted, I would say that it's perhaps best not to speculate on what the aggressor had in mind, " said David Koh, head of the Cyber ​​Security Agency.

Hackers used a computer infected with malware to access the database between June 27 and July 4 before administrators saw an "unusual activity".

The government says it is pushing back thousands of cyberattacks every day and that it has long warned against abuses by actors as diverse as high school students in their bedroom at US states. nations

. Coats has described Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as the "worst culprits" in attacks against the US "digital infrastructure". – Rappler.com