Major China-Linked Cyberattack Hits Singapore, Officials Warn of 'Serious' Threat

Singapore is facing a “serious and ongoing” cyberattack on its critical infrastructure, government officials announced, identifying the threat as an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group known as UNC3886 an espionage outfit that cybersecurity experts, including Google-owned Mandiant, have linked to China.

In a Friday night speech, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam called the breach a grave threat to the city-state’s national security and stability. “It is serious and it is ongoing,” Shanmugam said, warning that such threats are capable of stealing sensitive data and disrupting essential public services.

An APT refers to a type of cyberattack where a threat actor maintains undetected, unauthorized access to a target’s systems over an extended period. These actors typically seek to exfiltrate classified information or undermine critical infrastructure, including healthcare, transportation, telecommunications, power, and water systems.

“If it succeeds, it can conduct espionage and cause major disruption to Singapore and Singaporeans,” Shanmugam stated. He stressed that a successful compromise of the power grid could paralyze the nation, impacting hospitals, airports, banking systems, and daily life. “Our economy can be substantially affected,” he added.

Cyberattacks suspected to be from APT groups targeting Singapore have risen more than fourfold between 2021 and 2024. The most notable prior incident was in 2018, when a breach of a public healthcare system exposed the medication records of around 160,000 patients, including then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

China’s embassy in Singapore responded Saturday with strong objections to the allegations. In a statement, it denounced the media reports linking UNC3886 to China, saying it “firmly opposes any unwarranted smearing of China” and emphasized that “China is one of the main victims of cyberattacks.” The embassy reiterated that Beijing does not encourage or condone hacking and is committed to cracking down on cybercrime.

Commenting on the implications of the attack, Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Tenable, said the incident “highlights the extraordinary challenges posed by APT actors.”

“Combating such stealthy opponents is becoming increasingly demanding as the scale and complexity of IT infrastructure that organizations and nations must defend continues to grow,” Narang added.

The Singaporean government has yet to disclose the full extent of the breach or whether sensitive data has been compromised, but officials continue to monitor the threat as cybersecurity teams race to contain it.

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Source: NDTV