Someone once said:
“If there’s a World War 3, it won’t be fought on a physical battlefield. It will be fought on the Internet.”
But before you denounce it as an ill-concealed jab at keyboard warriors, here’s the thing.
As the Internet grows in popularity, operations and information have also steadily gone online.
And so, you can only imagine the damage that can be done by a proficient hacker.
In the worst-case scenario, it could cripple your life without a single touch.
Over 79,400 Data of MyRepublic Customers Stolen by Hackers
On 10 September 2021, mobile operator and Internet service provider MyRepublic announced that hackers have infiltrated a third-party data storage platform, stealing the personal data of nearly 79,400 subscribers in the process.
The platform has since been secured.
The service provider also disclosed that they first found unauthorised data access on the data platform on 29 August 2021.
Amongst the information that was stolen, identity verification documents and scanned copies of utility bills were included.
This means that for Singaporeans, their NRIC information was accessed, with scanned copies of both sides possibly taken.
As for foreigners, their residential addresses may have been compromised.
For those who ported a current mobile service, they may have had their names and mobile numbers leaked.
No other information is believed to have been accessed.
MyRepublic has since apologised for the incident.
“The privacy and security of our customers are extremely important to us at MyRepublic,” said MyRepublic chief executive Malcolm Rodrigues.
“Like you, we are disappointed with what has happened, and I would like to personally apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
“My team and I have worked closely with the relevant authorities and expert advisers to secure and contain the incident, and we will continue to support our affected customers every step of the way to help them navigate this issue.”
Recent Spate Of Attacks
Unfortunately, this is far from being the first attack in a long, long time.
In August 2021 alone, there were three ransomware attacks.
They were committed against private eye clinic Eye & Retina Surgeons, insurer Tokio Marine Insurance Singapore and tech company Pine Labs.
And earlier this year, local furniture retailer Vhive was infiltrated by the hacker group Altdos.
The data breach led to the leakage of numerous customers’ personal information, such as phone numbers and physical addresses.
In total, the records of over 300,000 customers were seized in the illegal operation.
Vhive was subsequently threatened to comply with the hackers’ demands.
And in January, Altdos reportedly broke into the IT infrastructure of Bangladeshi conglomerate Beximco Group and stole data from 34 databases.
“In total, ALTDOS has stolen hundreds of gigabytes of files, source coding and databases from 34 of Beximco websites, including its telecom subsidy—BOL-ONLINE.COM,” a spokesperson of the group allegedly said.
And in December 2020, it breached a Thai securities trading firm’s defences and subsequently leaked stolen data when the firm ignored its e-mail and demands.
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Featured Image: Facebook (MyRepublic Singapore)
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