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Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Fewer than 1 in 5 people noticed suspicious items during MHA's social experiments
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Over a few hours in the afternoon and evening, the car was left in a public place to test the public's response to terror incidents. SINGAPORE – More than 2,500 people in Tampines and Bishan walked past a black suitcase and a black car with a concealed number plate, but fewer than 500 of them noticed the suspicious objects. Even fewer of them either intended to or actually did alert the authorities to the items – just 26. Over a few hours during lunch and dinner, the suitcase and car were left in public places to test the public's response to terror incidents. The social experiments were conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on June 10 and 13, respectively. Noting the results of the social experiments, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said: 'How do we explain this reaction? The reality is, Singapore is a safe place, probably one of the safest cities of our size. 'For decades it has been like that, so very few people think in terms of crime or terror. That explains the awareness of threats. 'The level of safety we have is good, but it brings huge challenges when we want to educate the public to say 'it's not a question of if, but when'. It will happen at some point, and we need to be prepared.' He was speaking on July 30 at the launch of MHA's web series, What Would You Do When Terror Strikes, which features footage from the social experiments. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MHA to support HSA's crackdown on Kpod abusers and help in treatment of offenders: Shanmugam Business S'pore's economic resilience will face headwinds in second half of 2025 from tariffs, trade conflicts: MAS Business S'pore's Q2 total employment rises, but infocomm and professional services sectors see more job cuts Asia Powerful 8.8-magnitude quake in Russia's far east causes tsunami; Japan, Hawaii order evacuations Singapore Migrant workers who gave kickbacks to renew work passes were conservancy workers at AMK Town Council Asia Japan, Vietnam, EU contest terms of US tariff deals behind the scenes Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made The suitcase contained a dummy improvised explosive device and was left next to a potted plant at Our Tampines Hub. A red blinking light was later attached to the suitcase before it was placed by a pillar in front of a convenience store. In the car-bomb simulation, the car, containing multiple gas cylinders, was parked near Bishan Community Club in the afternoon. In the evening, more gas cylinders were added to the car boot, and the vehicle emitted smoke periodically. Despite the escalation in both experiments, only 438 out of 2,530 passers-by noticed the suspicious items, and 26 of them either intended to, or did, inform the authorities. MHA said the results of the social experiments differed from those of the 2024 SGSecure public perception survey, where 77 per cent of participants claimed they were generally alert and kept a lookout for suspicious activity and behaviour in public. Telltale signs included oily stains near the zippers, bulges to indicate a high payload of explosives, and an actor who dropped the suitcase off before hurriedly moving away. PHOTO: MHA In the same survey, 88 per cent of respondents said they would alert the authorities if they spotted suspicious behaviour or items. Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann, who also attended the launch event at The Projector at Cineleisure, said: 'This shows that we still have some way to go in raising the public's alertness and awareness and their readiness to combat terrorism.' Mr Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said the web series is an effort to increase public awareness about SGSecure messages like 'Run, Hide, Tell' and 'Press, Tie, Tell'. SGSecure is a national movement launched in 2016 to prepare Singaporeans to deal with terrorist attacks and equip them with skills to handle a crisis. The first of the three-episode series, which was released on MHA's YouTube channel on July 30, features eight local influencers responding to a simulated terror attack. The other two episodes will be released on Aug 13 and 27, and will feature footage from the social experiments conducted in June.
The Star
20-07-2025
- The Star
City-state under cyber siege
The city-state is dealing with a 'serious' cyberattack against its critical infrastructure by a highly sophisticated entity, the country's coordinating minister for national security said. The attack, part of a sophisticated level of cyberhacks called advanced persistent threats (APTs), poses a serious danger to Singapore and could undermine national security, K. Shanmugam disclosed in a speech late on Friday. 'I can say that it is serious and it is ongoing. And it has been identified to be UNC3886,' said Shanmugam, who is also the home affairs minister. Shanmugam did not disclose the group's sponsors, but UNC3886 has been pinpointed by Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm owned by Google, as a cyberespionage group involved in global attacks. 'Even as we speak, UNC3886 is attacking our critical infrastructure right now,' he said, adding that Singapore's Cyber Security Agency (CSA) and relevant authorities were dealing with the issue. APTs are highly sophisticated and well-resourced actors that typically steal sensitive information and disrupt essential services such as healthcare, telecom, water, transport and power, Shanmugam said. 'If it succeeds, it can conduct espionage and it can cause major disruption to Singapore and Singaporeans,' Shanmugam warned. A successful breach of Singapore's power system, for example, could disrupt electricity supply and have knock-on effects on essential services such as healthcare and transport. 'There are also economic implications. Our banks, airports and industries would not be able to operate. Our economy can be substantially affected,' he said. He said that between 2021 and 2024, suspected APTs against Singapore increased more than fourfold. A cyberbreach on a public healthcare cluster in 2018 accessed the medication records of about 160,000 patients, including then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. The attack on Singapore's critical infrastructure 'highlights the extraordinary challenges posed by APT actors,' said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at US-based cybersecurity firm Tenable. 'Combating such stealthy opponents is becoming increasingly demanding as the scale and complexity of IT infrastructure that organisations and nations must defend continues to grow,' he said. — AFP
Business Recorder
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Singapore facing ‘serious' cyberattack, says minister
SINGAPORE: Singapore announced it was battling a 'serious' cyberattack against its critical infrastructure, attributing the hack to an espionage group that experts have linked to China. The attack, a kind of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), poses a serious danger to the city-state, Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said in a speech late Friday. An APT refers to a cyberattack where an intruder establishes and maintains unauthorised access to a target, remaining undetected for a sustained period of time. 'I can say that it is serious and it is ongoing. And it has been identified to be UNC3886,' he said. Shanmugam, who is also home affairs minister, did not elaborate on the group's sponsors or the origin of the attack. But Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant described UNC3886 as a 'highly adept China-nexus cyber espionage group'. APT actors typically steal sensitive information and disrupt essential services, such as healthcare, telecoms, water, transport and power, minister Shanmugam said. 'If it succeeds, it can conduct espionage and it can cause major disruption to Singapore and Singaporeans,' he added. A successful breach of Singapore's power system, for example, could wreak havoc with the electricity supply, with knock-on effects on essential services, such as healthcare and transport. 'There are also economic implications. Our banks, airports and industries would not be able to operate. Our economy can be substantially affected,' he said. Between 2021 and 2024, suspected APTs against Singapore increased more than fourfold. A cyber breach on a public healthcare cluster in 2018 accessed the medication records of about 160,000 patients, including then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. On Saturday, China's embassy in Singapore expressed 'strong dissatisfaction' with media reports linking UNC3886 to China. In a statement, the embassy said it 'firmly opposes any unwarranted smearing of China' and that 'in fact, China is one of the main victims of cyberattacks'. The statement added: 'China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law. China does not encourage, support, or condone hacking activities.' The attack on Singapore's critical infrastructure 'highlights the extraordinary challenges posed by APT actors,' said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at US-based cybersecurity firm Tenable. 'Combating such stealthy opponents is becoming increasingly demanding as the scale and complexity of IT infrastructure that organisations and nations must defend continues to grow,' he said.
NDTV
19-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Singapore Faces "Serious" China-Linked Cyberattack
Singapore announced it was battling a "serious" cyberattack against its critical infrastructure, attributing the hack to an espionage group that experts have linked to China. The attack, a kind of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), poses a serious danger to the city-state, Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said in a speech late Friday. An APT refers to a cyberattack where an intruder establishes and maintains unauthorised access to a target, remaining undetected for a sustained period of time. "I can say that it is serious and it is ongoing. And it has been identified to be UNC3886," he said. Shanmugam, who is also home affairs minister, did not elaborate on the group's sponsors or the origin of the attack. But Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant described UNC3886 as a "highly adept China-nexus cyber espionage group". APT actors typically steal sensitive information and disrupt essential services, such as healthcare, telecoms, water, transport and power, minister Shanmugam said. "If it succeeds, it can conduct espionage and it can cause major disruption to Singapore and Singaporeans," he added. A successful breach of Singapore's power system, for example, could wreak havoc with the electricity supply, with knock-on effects on essential services, such as healthcare and transport. "There are also economic implications. Our banks, airports and industries would not be able to operate. Our economy can be substantially affected," he said. Between 2021 and 2024, suspected APTs against Singapore increased more than fourfold. A cyber breach on a public healthcare cluster in 2018 accessed the medication records of about 160,000 patients, including then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. On Saturday, China's embassy in Singapore expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with media reports linking UNC3886 to China. In a statement, the embassy said it "firmly opposes any unwarranted smearing of China" and that "in fact, China is one of the main victims of cyberattacks". The statement added: "China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law. China does not encourage, support, or condone hacking activities." The attack on Singapore's critical infrastructure "highlights the extraordinary challenges posed by APT actors," said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at US-based cybersecurity firm Tenable. "Combating such stealthy opponents is becoming increasingly demanding as the scale and complexity of IT infrastructure that organisations and nations must defend continues to grow," he said.
The Star
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Singapore is facing 'serious' cyberattack, says National Security Minister K. Shanmugam
Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said that Singapore is facing serious threats from state-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) actors. - PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO via The Straits Times/ANN SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore announced it was battling a "serious" cyberattack against its critical infrastructure, attributing the hack to an espionage group that experts have linked to China. The attack, a kind of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), poses a serious danger to the city-state, Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam said in a speech late Friday. An APT refers to a cyberattack where an intruder establishes and maintains unauthorised access to a target, remaining undetected for a sustained period of time. "I can say that it is serious and it is ongoing. And it has been identified to be UNC3886," he said. Shanmugam, who is also home affairs minister, did not elaborate on the group's sponsors or the origin of the attack. But Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant described UNC3886 as a "highly adept China-nexus cyber espionage group". APT actors typically steal sensitive information and disrupt essential services, such as healthcare, telecoms, water, transport and power, minister Shanmugam said. "If it succeeds, it can conduct espionage and it can cause major disruption to Singapore and Singaporeans," he added. A successful breach of Singapore's power system, for example, could wreak havoc with the electricity supply, with knock-on effects on essential services, such as healthcare and transport. "There are also economic implications. Our banks, airports and industries would not be able to operate. Our economy can be substantially affected," he said. Between 2021 and 2024, suspected APTs against Singapore increased more than fourfold. A cyber breach on a public healthcare cluster in 2018 accessed the medication records of about 160,000 patients, including then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. On Saturday, China's embassy in Singapore expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with media reports linking UNC3886 to China. In a statement, the embassy said it "firmly opposes any unwarranted smearing of China" and that "in fact, China is one of the main victims of cyberattacks". The statement added: "China firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law. China does not encourage, support, or condone hacking activities." The attack on Singapore's critical infrastructure "highlights the extraordinary challenges posed by APT actors," said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at US-based cybersecurity firm Tenable. "Combating such stealthy opponents is becoming increasingly demanding as the scale and complexity of IT infrastructure that organisations and nations must defend continues to grow," he said. - AFP
