In this new normal, governments lose cyber battles and people lose trust

SINGAPORE (Aug 20): By now, there is no question whether cyberattacks are a global scourge. And Singapore has not been immune: Both private companies and public-sector organisations here have been attacked.

Nevertheless, it was still a rude shock when SingHealth, the largest healthcare organisation here, said on July 20 that 1.5 million patients’ data — including that of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and several other ministers — had been accessed by attackers with “sophisticated” means. More worryingly, authorities have indicated that the attackers are not merely individuals working out of a basement, but rather organised parties linked to, or backed by, states. Singapore authorities have declined to name the perpetrators.

Separately, cybersecurity firm FireEye has said hackers, likely to be Chinese, have targeted Cambodian electoral agencies ahead of elections last month, and may be targeting companies and state agencies in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.

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