Schools told to update systems to guard against potential vulnerabilities; MOE says no cyberattacks found
MOE's statement came in response to CNA queries, when it emerged that the School of the Arts (SOTA) had taken down its parents portal as a part of a cybersecurity measure.
The school said it had identified a vulnerability in the third-party server infrastructure supporting the portal and that the third-party service provider had acknowledged such reports from their server customers.
"This vulnerability is currently being actively exploited in a global cyberattack campaign, which has already compromised organisations worldwide, including government agencies and multinational corporations," the school said in a message to parents.
"The attacks, which began on Jul 18, are specifically targeting school-managed installations."
In a media statement later on Wednesday evening, SOTA said it did not identify any compromise of its systems.
It added that it had temporarily disconnected the parent portal, which is hosted on SharePoint, from the internet as a "precautionary measure" to facilitate the security patch, as advised by MOE.
On Tuesday, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) issued an alert for users of Microsoft SharePoint to update to the latest version, citing "critical vulnerabilities".
SharePoint is a web-based collaborative document management platform developed by Microsoft.
On the same day, Microsoft issued a threat intelligence note warning of active attacks targeting SharePoint servers via known vulnerabilities. It said security updates have been released to address the flaws.
The note linked the attacks to three China-based groups, and added that investigations into other threat actors are ongoing.
In response to CNA's queries, CSA said it has reached out to "all critical sectors" that are using vulnerable versions of SharePoint to advise them to update to the latest version provided by Microsoft.
The agency added that it is working with GovTech and the sectors to analyse the impact.
In an updated advisory published on Thursday, CSA said that patching alone is insufficient if a SharePoint server has already been compromised.
"Based on incidents reported worldwide, threat actors continue to be able to exploit already-patched SharePoint servers, if additional mitigation measures had not been applied," said CSA.
"Mitigation steps, which include rotating keys, restarting IIS service and removing artefacts (e.g. web shells), are critical to minimise the risk to your organisation."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore Tonight - Fri 1 Aug 2025
Singapore Tonight From business to politics, health to technology, we bring you up-to-date with the latest news on Singapore and analyze how these events may affect you tomorrow.
Independent Singapore
8 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Singapore ranks 2nd worldwide in AI readiness but falls behind in AI innovation
Photo: Freepik/ (for illustration purposes only) SINGAPORE: Singapore ranked second globally for artificial intelligence (AI) readiness, based on Salesforce's Global AI Readiness Index, which looked at 16 countries across five key dimensions: enabling AI regulatory frameworks, AI diffusion and adoption, AI innovation, AI investment, and human capital, AI talent, and skills. Singapore received an overall index score of 26.5 out of 50, above the global average of 22.1. Each of the five dimensions was equally weighted at 10 points. The city-state also kept its lead in the Asia Pacific after ranking as the region's most AI-ready nation in Salesforce's 2021 and 2023 Asia Pacific AI Readiness Index, Singapore Business Review reported. Singapore ranked highest in enabling regulatory frameworks, scoring 9.8, backed by its Model AI Governance Framework and National AI Strategy 2.0. Meanwhile, it scored 8.0 in AI diffusion and adoption, driven by its Smart Nation vision and Public Sector AI Playbook, which guides AI use in transport, urban planning, and public services. For AI investment, Singapore scored 2.3, higher than the global average but way behind the US, which scored 8.8. The city-state also scored above the global average in terms of fostering AI talent; however, it trails behind Germany (6.2) and the US (6.0). Interestingly, Singapore scored weakest in AI innovation with only 0.7, below the global average of 1.7. The report noted that while the city-state has a largely enabling environment for AI, its innovation remains concentrated, with less focus on emerging areas like agentic AI. It added that Singapore is taking a lighter-touch approach by encouraging voluntary guidelines, industry self-regulation, and ethical AI principles to strike a balance between innovation and responsible AI use. Photo: salesforce /TISG Read also: Microsoft cuts jobs again as AI costs climb, to let go of about 9,000 employees () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Straits Times
AI cannot supplant learning; it must enable it: Desmond Lee
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – Young people need to develop strong judgment, reasoning abilities and foundational knowledge, even as artificial intelligence (AI) tools are able to perform both mundane and complex tasks, said Minister for Education Desmond Lee. AI cannot supplant learning – it must enable it, he said to the media on July 8 at Oasis Primary School in Punggol, in his first school visit since his appointment as education minister. Other key priorities for the Ministry of Education (MOE) include helping students develop social and emotional skills and effect a 'generational shift' away from competition based on grades and towards a passion for learning. Mr Lee cited the example of how AI could help young lawyers draft submissions, but only those with proper training and experience are able to assess and improve on the AI output. Mr Lee, accompanied by Oasis Primary School principal Danny Poh and Oasis Primary English head of department Munirah Eszham, during his first school visit in the role. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI 'You can tell what is right, what is wrong. What is real and what is not, and what is right for your situation,' he said. To this end, Mr Lee said it is important to prepare children for an AI-pervasive future, while also fostering in them curiosity and social-emotional skills. This would first require the age-appropriate use of AI in classrooms and teaching children about what AI is and its limits. With social and emotional skills becoming increasingly important – not just in school, but also in workplaces and the wider community – this is another area of focus for MOE . Mr Lee said: 'All these social-emotional skills can be more important than just your academic hard knowledge.' These include compassion, expressing oneself appropriately, navigating challenging environments and being able to self-regulate and empathise with others. At Oasis Primary School, Mr Lee observed Primary 4 English and art lessons that demonstrated how the school integrates social-emotional skills into these subjects. During the English lesson, pupils used the popular young adult book Wonder – about a boy with facial deformities – as a springboard to share how they would feel if they faced discrimination. For the art lesson, pupils worked in groups to come up with a superhero logo based on values. Mr Lee said such approaches bring lessons to life. 'It doesn't just give our children the foundation in the subject, but also uses the opportunity to get them to think critically, think thoughtfully, to engage with classmates and to think about how they relate to people who are different from themselves,' he said. By including group work, these activities go beyond nurturing individual creativity, and encourages pupils to collaborate and share ideas with each other, he added. 'You can see leadership in action. You see collaboration in action, cooperation, give and take and also working towards a product that is bigger than the sum of the individual parts. So that was very encouraging,' the minister said. On MOE's efforts to shift away from an emphasis on competition around grades so that students can develop a lifelong passion for learning, he said: 'It will take time, and we require three parties to play a part – our pre-schools, primary schools as well as our parents.' Another key area is how schools can better partner with the community to support children from more challenging backgrounds, such as those whose families are beneficiaries of ComLink+, a scheme to support lower-income households. Likening the approach to a triangle comprising housing, education and jobs and skills, Mr Lee said these areas are where these families need help. 'I think it will give them a better shot in achieving stability, self-reliance and, ultimately, social mobility.' Mr Lee said there is a need to strengthen the transition from pre-school to primary school, especially through MOE kindergartens. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Visiting the MOE Kindergarten (MK) located at Oasis Primary School, Mr Lee also said there is a need to strengthen the transition from pre-school to primary school, especially through MKs. 'Our pre-school landscape is diverse and rich, and we are the better off for it. But MKs allow an opportunity to test-bed ideas for us to be able to look at enhancements to pre-school pedagogies,' he said. He noted that many parents appreciate MKs sitting within primary schools, as many pre-schoolers go on to attend primary schools near their homes. Madam Nur Liyana Saine, 38, whose daughter Faiha Fatiha, eight, had moved from MK@Oasis to Primary 1 in the same school, said the child's familiarity with the environment made the move easier. Mathematics and science teacher Nur Liyana Saine at Oasis Primary School, with her daughter Faiha Fatiha. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI 'She knew what to expect, like where to go during morning flag-raising and reading time, because she had experienced it in MK,' said Madam Liyana, who is a mathematics and science teacher at Oasis Primary School. 'For a six-year-old, big spaces like the school hall can be intimidating. But because she had been there for events like Chinese New Year celebrations, it felt familiar,' she added. The MK programme was started in 2014 to provide quality pre-school education that is affordable to Singaporeans. Among other goals, it aims to 'encourage bilingualism in the early years and help lay a strong foundation for language learning in the later years', the ministry had said previously. An MOE spokesperson said the ministry plans to open 60 MKs by 2029. After observing mother tongue lessons at MK@Oasis, Mr Lee reiterated that bilingualism remains a key strength for Singapore and that early exposure to mother tongue languages is crucial. 'It gives us a cultural ballast and richness in our identity. And from a utilitarian, pragmatic point of view, it connects us with the region and the world,' he said. He added that as a largely English-speaking environment, schools must be deliberate in supporting the use of mother tongue languages. 'When you start young, we have a better chance of that following us all through life.'
