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CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Naming country linked to UNC3886 attack not in Singapore's best interest at this point in time: Shanmugam
SINGAPORE: While naming a specific country linked to cyber threat group UNC3886 is not in Singapore's interest at this point in time, the attack was still serious enough for the government to let the public know about the group, said Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Friday (Aug 1). Speaking to reporters on the side of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore's (CSA) Exercise Cyber Star, the national cybersecurity crisis management exercise, Mr Shanmugam said that when it comes to naming any country responsible for a cyber attack, 'we always think about it very carefully'. Responding to a question from CNA on reports tying the group to China, Mr Shanmugam said: 'Media coverage (and) industry experts all attribute UNC3886 to some country … Government does not comment on this. 'We release information that we assess is in the public interest. Naming a specific country is not in our interest at this point in time.' UNC3886 has been described by Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant as a "China-nexus espionage group" that has targeted prominent strategic organisations on a global scale. Mr Shanmugam had announced on Jul 18 that Singapore is actively dealing with a "highly sophisticated threat actor" that is attacking critical infrastructure, identifying the entity as UNC3886 without disclosing if it was a state-linked actor. He said the threat actor poses a serious danger to Singapore and could undermine the country's national security, and added that it was not in Singapore's security interests to disclose further details of the attack then. When asked the following day about UNC3886's alleged links to China and possible retaliation for naming them, Mr Shanmugam, who is also Home Affairs Minister, said this was "speculative". "Who they are linked to and how they operate is not something I want to go into," he said. Responding to media reports in a Jul 19 Facebook post, the Chinese embassy in Singapore expressed its "strong dissatisfaction" at the claims linking the country to UNC3886, stating that they were "groundless smears and accusations against China". 'In fact, China is a major victim of cyberattacks," it wrote. "The embassy would like to reiterate that China is firmly against and cracks down (on) all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with law. China does not encourage, support or condone hacking activities." On Friday, Mr Shanmugam also gave his reasons for disclosing the identity of threat actors like UNC3886. 'We look at the facts of each case (and) the degree of confidence we have before we can name. And when we decide to name the threat actor, we look at whether it is in Singapore's best interest,' said Mr Shanmugam, who is also the home affairs minister. In this case, the threat, attack and compromise to Singapore's infrastructure was 'serious enough' and the government was confident enough to name UNC3886 as the perpetrators, he said. 'Here, we said this is serious. They have gotten in. They are compromising a very serious critical infrastructure. Singaporeans ought to know about it, and awareness has got to increase. And because of the seriousness, it is in the public interest for us to disclose,' said Mr Shanmugam. ATTACKS HAVE HAPPENED ELSEWHERE Mr Shanmugam was accompanied at Friday's exercise by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, who is also Minister-in-Charge of Cybersecurity. Held at the Singapore Institute of Technology in Punggol, the exercise saw teams from critical sector organisations tackle cybersecurity challenges based on key threats, such as advanced persistent threats (APTs) and attacks on critical systems. APTs are a type of prolonged cyberattack typically carried out by well-resourced threat actors. 'There're close to about 500 participants today. They come together, put a face to a name, exercise real life scenarios, things which have happened elsewhere,' said Mr Shanmugam, emphasising that such incidents are 'not theoretical'. During the event, Mr Shanmugam was shown a demonstration of an attack on a port, where crane operations were paralysed and energy supply was cut off. He was also briefed on the response plan for when the public transport system gets attacked, with millions of people commuting and the fare systems are targeted. 'You have to exercise, you have to bring people together. Government has got a high level of knowledge.' The private sector, meanwhile, is focused on getting things done for their business, he added. 'Now, they need their knowledge and abilities to also increase. So we've got to work together,' said Mr Shanmugam. Mrs Teo had announced earlier this week that owners of Singapore's critical information infrastructure will, from later this year, be required to report to CSA any incidents suspected to be caused by APTs. Mr David Koh, chief executive of CSA, said: 'With cyberattacks increasing in frequency and sophistication, it is important for the government to work closely with Singapore's critical sectors and companies to enhance crisis response capabilities and ensure the continual delivery of essential services.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Taiwan to seek lower tariff after Trump's 'temporary' 20% levy
TAIPEI: Taiwan vowed on Friday (Aug 1) to seek a lower tariff after Donald Trump imposed a "temporary" 20 per cent levy on its shipments to the United States as part of his trade war. The US president's announcement was part of a sweep of measures - reaching 41 per cent - against dozens of global partners as they scrambled for deals with Washington to avert the painful tolls. The figure is down from the 32 per cent toll imposed in his Apr 2 "Liberation Day", since when Taipei and Washington have held four rounds of face-to-face talks and multiple video conferences to resolve the issue. On Friday, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Facebook they were still working to strike an agreement. "The US has announced a temporary 20 per cent tariff for Taiwan, with the possibility of further reductions should an agreement be reached," he wrote. "The government will continue to strive for a reasonable tariff rate and complete the final stages of the tariff negotiations." While Trump had set Friday as the deadline for agreements to be made, he delayed it until the end of next week. No timeline was given for Taiwan, which could mean the island was caught in the middle of US-China trade negotiations, said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis. Washington and Beijing held two days of talks this week aimed at reaching a deal to extend a truce in their trade war and prevent the reimposition of sky-high tariffs on Aug 12. "The conditions on Taiwan might be relevant for China, imagine export controls," Garcia-Herrero told AFP. After US tech giant Nvidia announced it will resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China, Garcia-Herrero said "there could be other stuff that China needs from Taiwan that the US can offer". "THIS IS THE CEILING" Taiwan is a global powerhouse in chip manufacturing, with more than half the world's semiconductors and nearly all of the high-end ones made there. The owner of a Taiwanese machinery exporter to the United States said he was worried that lower tariff rates on Japan and South Korea - 15 per cent - would advantage his competitors there. He told AFP the recent appreciation in the Taiwan dollar against the greenback had also "put a lot of pressure on us, creating a double whammy". The uncertainty over tariffs was hurting US sales, said textile producer Eddie Wang, with clients "feeling overwhelmed" and reluctant to place orders. Soaring demand for AI-related technology has fuelled Taiwan's trade surplus with the United States - and put it in Trump's crosshairs. Around 60 per cent of Taiwan's exports to the United States are information and communications technology, which includes chips. In a bid to avoid the tariffs, Taipei has pledged to increase investment in the United States, buy more of its energy and increase its own defence spending. Economist Sun Ming-te said the 20 per cent levy was "probably the best outcome Taiwan can achieve with the US under the current conditions."
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
PM Lawrence Wong's National Day Message to be broadcast on Aug 8
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's National Day Message will be broadcast on Aug 8, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Friday (Aug 1). Mr Wong, who is also finance minister, will deliver his message in English. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will deliver the message in Mandarin, while Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim will deliver it in Malay. Minister of State for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Manpower, Dinesh Vasu Dash will deliver the message in Tamil. The first broadcast in English will air on CNA and CNA938 at 6.40pm. The Malay broadcast will be at 8.30pm on Suria, followed by the Mandarin broadcast on Channel 8 and Capital 958 at 8.40pm. The Tamil broadcast will air at 9pm on Vasantham and Oli 968. The National Day Message in the four languages will also be available on the PMO website and its YouTube channel after the first broadcasts. In Mr Wong's first National Day Message, he spoke about the efforts being made to keep the cost of living stable, as well as support for families under the Forward Singapore initiative.
