Reed vs. Bellingham was the first private lawsuit brought about under the PDPA and was decided in 2021. In 2019, 4,500 complaints were made to privacy watchdog the Personal Data Protection Commission. The number of Singapore government data security incidents rose from 75 in the 2019 financial year to 108 in FY2020, representing a year-on-year increase of 44 per cent. 6 Game-Changing Trends Impacting Incident Reporting, Dont Let Your Cybersecurity Risks Haunt You, How to Get the Privacy Tools Your Team Needs, How to Survive a Data Breach (and Avoid Litigation), Incident Response, Business Impacts, and SOC 2, U.S. Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure, experienced a privacy incident in December 2019, experienced a privacy incident in August 2020, The Escalating Risk from Cybersecurity Incidents in Healthcare, Iowa Consumer Data Privacy Act, Latest in Wave of US Privacy Laws, The Dark Side of Cyber Insurance and Insurer Marketplaces in Incident Response, Continuous Reporting: An Emerging Trend in Cyber Regulations, BreachRx and Azure Data Protection Announce Partnership to Strengthen Privacy & Data Protection Globally, About BreachRx Incident Response Platform, Individuals acting on a personal or domestic basis, Individuals acting in their capacity as an employee (the organization takes on the liability), Any public agency (defined as government body such as a ministry, department, agency, or organ of state or a tribunal appointed under written law) in relation to the collection, use, or disclosure of personal data. The personal information of more than 800,000 blood-donors was leaked online due to a loophole in the system of the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). Suspect a PDPA Data Breach? Here's What to Do Next H|VMo\E_1G|qcoEE!%(KT ")~yLaVChlS}n-xDcRTG_yzvu1CKpbtS/sHWmeSLkJ.&oa]9OuN/S _}8nNpR~g^x.v m{DS4N7>oO7tr'\~w The leak was attributed to their lacklustre effort to protect clients information. Among the top priority recommendations proposed by Solicitor-General Kwek Mean Luck to Singapores healthcare institutions to work on were raising awareness of cybersecurity and tighten control of privileged administrator accounts. This attack affected about 500 IP addresses in Singapore. Protect brand reputation by reducing the risk of bad publicity due to data breaches; . Equifax data breach FAQ: What happened, who was affected, what was the impact? 30, Boon Lay Way, #03-01, , 609957, Singapore, Singapore. This situation could also result in fines from the PDPC. This almost-great Raspberry Pi alternative is missing one key feature, This $75 dock turns your Mac Mini into a Mac Studio (sort of), Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus is the Goldilocks of Smartphones, How the New Space Race Will Drive Innovation, How the metaverse will change the future of work and society, Digital transformation: Trends and insights for success, Software development: Emerging trends and changing roles. Singapore is no newcomer in the world of privacy legislation, however the latest updates to the PDPA significantly strengthen the laws requirements for how businesses can collect, use, and store personal data and how they need to prepare for and respond to a privacy incident. 0000015149 00000 n Fortunately, the hackers only got away with the personal data of 850 NSmenas MINDEF keeps its information on a seperate server. It does not store any personal data. However, when we look at the bigger picture, the government is doing a lot to improve cybersecurity. SINGAPORE - Public officers reported 108 cases of data leaks by the Singapore Government last year, up 44 per cent from 75 cases in 2019. 0000005172 00000 n Ultimately, the PDPC found that the organisation was not in breach of its data . SINGAPORE - Several companies have been fined a total of $75,000 for breaches and lapses that have affected more than 600,000 people's personal data, including their names and contact numbers, and . The amendments to the PDPA are timely in the fast-changing landscape of the digital economy, and bring Singapore's personal data protection laws up to date and aligned with international standards, such as the GDPR. 184 0 obj <> endobj xref He was deported back to America in 2018 after he completed his jail term. To offer you a better experience, this site uses cookies. Mandatory data breach notifications when a breach causes harm to consumers New criminal offenses and a private right to action for violations of the PDPA New authorities for the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), which administers and enforces the law The National Privacy Commission of Philippines (NPC) gave popular fast-food chain Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) 10 days in May 2018 to come up with a plan to rehabilitate the vulnerabilities on its website, which could expose the data of millions of customers in the case of a breach. ][dk%v#i`HAH9!wm#8Z9sZw&>5n=X:`F,9PeKl Gn1uU5H'@+k_%00Lzn^+ PaZQd&lxB[/. Marketing and e-commerce specialists said generative AI can be used as a chatbot and trainer for store managers, and businesses that do not have the tech will fall behind. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 160,000 patients had details related to outpatient dispensed medicines as well. By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy. SBR Made in Singapore Awards & Designed in Singapore Awards, Business leaders want to raise productivity not fire staff amidst rise of AI, Central bank explores responsible AI practices through new tech firm collab, 1. Police received a report about the breach on 12 July. The biggest data breaches in Southeast Asia | CIO The suite is intended to prevent the accidental loss of sensitive data from government networks, systems and devices and uses technical and process controls to detect risky user activities. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Amongst the top attackers were credential hacking, with 59%, and data exfiltration with 54%. 2019 ended with sombre news for Singapores cybersecurity. Some of the recent cyberattacks in Singapore include a data breach at an employment agency and a massive ransomware attack on a specialist medical clinic, the Eye & Retina Surgeons. These recent amendments make it essential for organizations worldwide to understand whats required under Singapores PDPA and the potential consequences for violating the law. Just seven years ago, the same threat held a distant 15thposition in the top menaces list for companies around the world. It was reported that the personal data of 1.5 million healthcare patients was exposed when hackers attacked and gained access to SingHealth's database, making this the largest data breach reported in Singapore. This ongoing effort is important because plans will inevitably need to evolve over time as regulations, contracts, and even security threats change. 0000004232 00000 n Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Personal data pertaining to 2,400 Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel was put at risk and could have been leaked. This means that any organization that collects and maintains data on Singapore residents must comply with the law, regardless of where their business is actually located. uB-PK%ho[0 eO,zb>Xc?~,XKQ2"2"2"2".E]u)REQRW]E?]@l|ehd~G~9fciL/` } endstream endobj 196 0 obj <>stream About 33% of Singapore organisations suffered up to $1.348m ($US 1m) in both direct and indirect damages as they record breaches to their data, DNS security and management firm, Infoblox, said. There were 178 incidents of data breaches in the Singapore public sector in 2021, up 65 percent over the 108 cases reported in 2020 but unlike some incidents in previous years, none of the breaches was of a serious nature, according to government sources. 0000046554 00000 n This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation. When such activities are detected, the DLP tools prompt the user to take certain actions, such as confirming that the data was intended to be transferred, before proceeding to do so. Singapore pay TV, internet and mobile phone provider StarHub is in the process of notifying 57,191 customers via email that they are victims of a cyber attack that leaked national identity card numbers, mobile numbers and email addresses. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Tech stock companies were dealt a more severe blow. Data leakage was the top cybersecurity concern for 51% of companies in Singapore, while 42% were anxious about remote connections and 35% felt the same about networked IoT attacks. 184 44 Furthermore, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) was established in 2013 to promote and enforce personal data protection. Third-party data breach in Singapore hits healthcare provider The rise in public sector data incidents mirrors trends in the private sector here. This is especially the case since the 2020 amendment to the law strengthened requirements around how organizations can collect, use, and store personal data. Leverage the BreachRx platform to build an actionable incident response plan today! Only 500 IP addressed were affected by this. Break through the uncertainty and focus on what matters to your organization. "Last year, Singapore observed a 73% increase in reported data breaches and ransomware incidents, compared to the year before," said Teo Chee Hean, Singapore's senior minister and coordinating minister for national security, in March 2022. Keeping our security software, applications and operating systems up to date Hackers can access devices with outdated systems more easily. CIOs to step up their data security, below we have compiled a list of the most serious data breach incidents in the ASEAN region during the past years. #06-05 Regency Suites StarHub told The Register via email that the company suspects the stolen data file was found within a day of it being uploaded to the third-party web site. An FAQ guide to data breach notifications in Singapore 0000002657 00000 n The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". It's the largest penalty ever given . Organizations that experience a data breach not relating to the designated personal data but that affects more than 500 individuals must only notify the PDPC. 0000047552 00000 n Hmm. The Legislation. g@8KQ*JD9fARDm`j]-R*j$i&. This update allows for criminal prosecution with a potential fine of up to S$5,000 or imprisonment up to two years based on egregious mishandling of personal data, including: Finally, the PDPA grants individuals a private right to action by filing a civil lawsuit if they are harmed by a violation of the law. SEA businesses exposed to highest rate of data breaches globally Unfortunately, users cannot know that their identity has been stolen until the damage has been done. The document gave a 72-hour extension for the fast-food chain company to comply. The rapid fall in stocks also forced certain banks to sell off business assets. H\n@C_OO%N$a eE`t~60{?c?t_kh9S?$yaLI8&umq2[w'{|tOl2ZcfzkK|{1vMsN3>4'u_JnG,?%_\pI.B%[H~O ?cPW+ The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2020 In Singapore - Mondaq Other types of cyber incidents involve changing the settings of their computers without consent (9 per cent) and having their personal data stolen as a result of a cyber incident (8 per cent). Michael Reed brought the lawsuit after Alex Bellingham targeted him (Reed) with marketing based on Reeds personal data. , The Register Biting the hand that feeds IT, Copyright. It said that in order to ensure that the public service is equipped to respond to data incidents at the whole-of-government level, it conducted inaugural central ICT and data incident management exercises in September 2021. The company services corporate clients and their employees, one of whom at least had been confirmed to have their personal data potentially exposed. Another update to enforcement, which allows for criminal prosecution in certain cases, is already in effect as of February 1, 2021. Singapore public sector saw 178 data breaches in 2021 - iTnews Asia Merrigan said that True Corp was wrongly assuming that the incident was a hack, but since there was no security on the data bucket, anybody could have found and downloaded the files. How would you know that? A Russia cyber-security group found details like usernames and passwords of accounts related to MOH, MOE, Singapore Police and NUS and payment care details on the dark web. Fortunately, the ransomware did not hit Singapore as badly as others. Work-from-home arrangements and the use of unsecured home networks may raise the risk of data incidents, said SNDGO. No credit card information or passwords were leaked, Fullerton Health said. However, it seems that data breaches are threatening our online safety. The popular but controversial riding company only released the news after disclosing that the details of 57 million worldwide Uber riders and drivers had been exposed. Singapore Business Review website works best with Javascript enabled. CEO Rhonda Wong brings properties vision to be there for everyone from SG to the world. As at March 31 this year, 21 of the recommended measures are already in place. Singapore has seen a spate of supply chain attacks this past year that compromised personal data of, amongst others, 580,000Singapore Airlines (SIA) frequent flyers,129,000 Singtel customers, and30,000 individuals in an incident involving job-matching organisation e2i. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The Allianz Risk Barometer 2020 reports that cyber incidents, including data breaches, rank as the most serious business risk globally. Copyright 2023 IDG Communications, Inc. CSO provides news, analysis and research on security and risk management. Webcada, a web design company based in Singapore, experienced a privacy incident in August 2020. Another third-party security breach has been reported in Singapore, this time, affecting patients of Fullerton Health and compromising personal data that included bank account details in "a few cases". On a national level, the worst breach of personal data in Singapore's history is the SingHealth cyber attack in 2018, which saw PM Lee Hsien Loong . However, about 50,000 of the leaked email addresses were either outdated or bogus addresses, except for 119 of them which are still being used. They also increase the power of the PDPC to enforce the law. Specifically, amendments to Singapores PDPA passed in November 2020 and began to take effect in February 2021. Five years ago, a typical ransomware demand would have been in the tens of thousands of dollars. Data Breaches Continue In 2020 - How Can We Step Up Cybersecurity? All of the incidents were assessed to be of "medium" or "low" severity, according to the second annual report on the Government's personal data protection efforts released on Tuesday (July 27). 0000004759 00000 n . NCB Management Services, a debt collecting company from the United States, has suffered what appears to be a . Incidents are becoming more damaging, increasingly targeting large companies with sophisticated attacks and hefty extortion demands. Lowyat.net founder Vijandren Ramadass toldThe Starthat all information it had received on the matter was handed over to the MCMC. On itsThai website, Toyota issued a notice stating that the company was"aware of a possibility that some of Toyotas entities in Thailand were targeted by a cyberattack and that some of its customer data may have been potentially accessed. Fullerton Health said it still was working to ascertain the number and identity of individuals affected by the breach. Featured image from Google Maps and Google Maps. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Heres a look at some of the most notable cases: HMI Institute of Health Sciences, a leading private healthcare education provider based in Singapore, experienced a privacy incident in December 2019. Organizations should complete their investigation about the data breach as quickly as possible, with guidelines suggesting this should take no more than 30 calendar days. The overarching framework The PDPA imposes obligations on all businesses that collect, use or disclose personal data in Singapore. 0000046308 00000 n Although not all the firms from ASEAN countries included in the report (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore) consider cyber incidents as their top business risk priority, the region nonetheless mirrors a global trend that has seen a growing awareness of cyber threats in recent years. CSO |. It governs the collection, use and disclosure of individuals' personal data by all private sector organisations. 30 days ago Singapore Eatigo fined S$62,400 for data breach leading to sale of 2.8 million users' personal data 2 months ago Asia Malaysia minister tells agencies to look into purported. The law defines personal data as any data (whether or not its accurate) that can be used to identify an individual. CIOs to. askST: What can I do if my personal information has been hacked. Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news. Personal information of 380,000 users was exposed when Uber was hacked. As more businesses conduct their activities online in the light of public health restrictions, more data is generated and exchanged. More than half of the attacks were credential hijackings. Agape first detected the intrusion on October 19 and "acted immediately" to isolate and suspend use of the system, the vendor said in a statement Monday. Lulled into complacency, businesses face risks of supply chain attacks even after they have done their due diligence in assessing their third-party suppliers' security posture before establishing a partnership. It added that agencies that did not participate in the central exercises carried out their own exercises to test their officers readiness in effectively containing and managing the impact of data incidents. This investigation showed no evidence of data exfiltration and the company was able to restore all of the affected data via backups. Four houses in Bo Seng and Whitley Road up for sale, 5. The local region has been rocked by a number of high profile data breaches resulting from cyber attacks this year. Special Feature: Securing Data in a Hybrid World, Apple sets June date for its biggest conference of 2023. Non-medical personal details of 1.5 million patients who visited SingHealths specialist outpatient clinics and polyclinics between 1. The first is the unauthorised disclosure of the confidential data of 14,200 patients from the Ministry of Health's HIV registry. In its report, titled, 2022 Singapore State of Security Report, attackers of Singapore organisations likely stole credentials and swiped data to gain illegal entry and alter information. The exercises involved 33 agencies across five ministries. Even after the breach, SingPass accounts were used for crimes such as fake work pass applications. Upon identifying the incident, the organization hired an independent consultant to investigate. there are many ways you can work with us to advertise your company and connect to your customers. PDF Singapore Security Insights Report - VMware The group attacked PAPs webpage, leaking government employees personal information. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Even if the data gets returned and no signs of exfiltration exist, a ransomware attack still qualifies as a privacy incident that requires notification under the PDPA. 0000047919 00000 n Singapore has seen a spate of supply chain attacks this past year that compromised personal data of, amongst others, 580,000 Singapore Airlines (SIA) frequent flyers , 129,000 Singtel. Singapores hallmark privacy legislation, the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), has been around since 2012. The SNDGO said the overall increase in data incidents reported in 2021 mirrors trends seen in the private sector and globally, as the exchange and use of data continues to grow. According to one Singapore-based media lawyer The Register spoke to, the PDPA is a serious regulation but is considered less strict than Europe's GDPR. Inside Singapores 2020 updates to the privacy law and what global organizations need to prepare accordingly. Singapore: An FAQ Guide To Data Breach Notifications In Singapore - Mondaq The system affected held full names and NRIC numbers and a combination of contact numbers, email addresses or residential addresses of Mindef and SAF members of staff. Meanwhile, the payment cards information was valued at more than $600,000. StarHub claims credit card and bank account information was not compromised, but has nonetheless offered all affected customers six months of free credit monitoring, as long as they act by September 5. %PDF-1.7 % Singapore: financial impact of data breach on companies 2020 - Statista It identifies trends in hacking and malicious attacks, and the financial and reputational impact breaches had in what has been an unprecedented year. The PDPC fined the organization S$35,000 for the incident, citing several PDPA violations and even taking into account mitigating factors around the organizations response. skype: iphubasia. A ransomware attack is when a third party holds data hostage, usually in exchange for money. Exposing personal data to the wrong person or leaving it unsecured can lead to a data breach notification under the PDPA. 0000045846 00000 n 0000045749 00000 n Both took place in 2018. Mr Farrera-Brochez, Mr Ler Teck Siangs lover, was charged with fraud and drug-related offences in 2016. This includes foreign-owned and foreign-controlled businesses, even if they have no physical office in Singapore. Do you think more can be done to fend off nefarious cyberattacks? data breach latest news & coverage - CNA Anonymous is a decentralised hacktivist group that focuses on correcting injustices. His name resurfaced again in 2019 as he was suspected to have leaked the personal information of over 14,200 HIV-positive individuals. If you are an individual with a data protection complaint involving your own or another persons personal data, please submit your complaint. Inside How TikTok Shares User Data - The New York Times Read more about cookies in our Privacy Statement. . Alex Haurek, a TikTok spokesman, called the documents seen by The Times "dated" and disputed that they contradicted Mr. Chew's statements. Singapore PDPA Incident Response Guidelines - BreachRx Ironically, in 2014 the insurance corporation had introduced an online risk insurance service in the city-state to protect customers and businesses against cyberattacks. However, unsecured Wi-Fi networks can be used to spread malware, which grants access to the users device, including all information stored therein. 0000046479 00000 n Having a plan ready allows for a quick and confident response, which is essential if organizations want to meet Singapores strict timelines of 30 days for investigation and three days for notification, not to mention taking any remedial actions during that time. . Kamiya and others (2018) examine the drivers of the likelihood and severity of data breaches among financial and non-financial firms using a sample of 188 such incidents between 2005 and 2014. In all, the incident compromised the personal information of 1.5 million people who visited SingHealth between 1 May 2015 and 4 July 2018. The survey was conducted by the Business Intelligence Unit of CyberRisk Alliance, underwritten by Infoblox. The bug affected Singaporeans at every level. Farrera Brochez used to be the partner of Ler Teck Siang, the former head of Singapore's National Public Health Unit, who was convicted for helping him falsify his medical records to disguise the Americans HIV-positive status to enter the country. Based on MINDEFs statements, the attack was pre-meditated and could even have been sponsored by other states that were trying to steal classified information. According to the report, global ransomware incidents increased 715 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2020. Let us know in the comments below. The compromised personal data included names, contact details (phone number and address), HIV test results and other medical information of some 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners dating up to January 2013. "This could be due, in part, to the Covid-19 crisis accelerating the pace of digitalisation in the past year," said SNDGO. Among the leaked email addresses, around 50,000 of them were government e-mail addresses. A data breach may or may not be a breach of the PDPA, depending on the exact circumstances. 50201900088S, Thailand introduces fast-track trademark renewal and application procedures, Protecting your design in Singapore: benefits, registration and renewal. Singapore, 6 August 2021 - StarHub announced today that on 6 July 2021 during a proactive online surveillance, its cybersecurity team discovered, on a third-party data dump website, an illegally uploaded file, containing limited types of personal information related to certain individual customers. This article will highlight the aspects of the PDPA that would be relevant in those circumstances. The Largest Data Breach in Singapore - IPHub Asia Data of 1.5 Million People Breached in Singapore's 'Worst' Digital Personal information from multiple Malaysian public sector and commercial websites was also stolen, making Malaysians vulnerable to social engineering attacks and even phone cloning. This includes learning about the sites privacy policies before submitting our sensitive information and being more cautious when granting access to our social media account towards third party providers, such as games, quizzes, etc. For example, the bug caused computerised taxi meters to stop working in Singapore. Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches in Review: May 2023 0000003710 00000 n In 2019 alone, there were 3 major data leaks that affected millions of Singaporeans. They have made several notable changes in the years that followed, most recently a set of updates to strengthen the PDPA in a way that puts Singapores privacy legislation on par with laws like the EUs GDPR and Brazils LGPD. It added that developing the public services capabilities and instincts in managing and securing data is an ongoing endeavour. Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: leaking government employees personal information, 1560 SingPass accounts were potentially accessed, like sign-ups for events and marketing promotions, South Korean Woman Allegedly Kills Victim Out Of Curiosity, Stuffs Remains In Suitcase & Takes Taxi, TikTok CEO To Take Charge Of New App Lemon8, Both Platforms Under Chinese Parent Company ByteDance, Msian Woman Goes Missing After Travelling To Chiang Mai, Suspected Location In Myanmar, Punggol Resident Sends Email With Vulgar Language To MP, She Urges For Civility, Long Queue Forms At MBS For Latest Swatch-Omega Collab, All 50 Pieces Sold Out, White Rabbit Candy Flavoured Milk Now In China Is Basically Our Beloved Childhood Sweet, But Drinkable, Huawei Offers $54 Phone For Sporeans Aged 50 & Above From 26-28 Jul Because National Day, PM Lee Hsien Loong & President Halimah Are The Most Admired Sporeans In The Nation, According To YouGov, This Spore Family Plagued By Bedbugs Needs 2 Mattresses & Bed Frames, Heres How To Help Them, Sporean Returns From Holiday To Piles Of Taobao Deliveries At Home, Realises 4-Year-Old Nephew Ordered Them, Elderly Man Issued Warning For Not Returning Tray At Chinatown Complex, Says Unaware Of Rack's Location, Tefal Sale Has Up To 70% Off Kitchenware & Home Appliances, Jio Mum For Weekend Shopping, Four Star Has 55% Storewide Discount On Mattresses & Sofas For Your Mid-Year Home Revamp, Suntec Atrium Sale Has Up To 70% Off Branded Luggage, Gear Up For June Holidays, Spore Youths Can Test Drive Companies Under NTUCs New Career Trial Before Starting First Job.