Hackers have stolen the health records of 1.5 million Singaporeans including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, authorities said Friday, with the leader specifically targeted in the city-state's biggest ever data breach.
Singapore's health and information ministries said a government database was broken into in a "deliberate, targeted and well-planned" strike, describing the attack as "unprecedented".
"Attackers specifically and repeatedly targeted the personal particulars and outpatient information of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong," health minister Gan Kim Yong told a press conference.
Forensic analysis by Singapore's Cyber Security Agency "indicates this is a deliberate, targeted, and well-planned cyber-attack and not the work of casual hackers or criminal gangs," he added.
Officials declined to comment on the identity of the hackers, citing "operational security", but said the prime minister's data has not shown up anywhere on the internet.
"I don't know what the attackers were hoping to find. Perhaps they were hunting for some dark state secret, or at least something to embarrass me," Mr Lee wrote on Facebook.
"My medication data is not something I would ordinarily tell people about, but there is nothing alarming in it."
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Hackers used a computer infected with malware to gain access to the database between June 27 and July 4 before administrators spotted "unusual activity", authorities said.
The compromised data includes personal information and medication dispensed to patients, but medical records and clinical notes have not been affected, the health and communications ministries said.
"Health records contain information that is valuable to governments," said Eric Hoh, Asia-Pacific president of cyber-security firm FireEye.
"Nation-states increasingly collect intelligence through cyber-espionage operations which exploit the very technology we rely upon in our daily lives."
Earlier this month, the US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats described Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as the "worst offenders" when it came to attacks on American "digital infrastructure".
Some hackers have in the past offered stolen data and software for sale online.
Wealthy Singapore is hyper-connected and on a drive to digitise government records and essential services, including medical records which public hospitals and clinics can share via a centralised database.
But authorities have put the brakes on these plans while they investigate the cyber-attack. A former judge will head a committee looking into the incident.
While the city-state has some of the most advanced military weaponry in the region, the government says it fends off thousands of cyberattacks every day and has long warned of breaches by actors as varied as high-school students in their basements to nation-states.
In his Facebook post about the attack, Mr Loong warned that "those trying to break into our data systems are extremely skilled and determined. They have huge resources, and never give up trying."
In 2017, hackers broke into a defence ministry database, stealing the information of some 850 Singapore army conscripts and ministry staff.
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Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
