News

NTU, NUS, SMU and SUTD Kena Hacked: 6 Topics S’poreans Are Talking About Today (5 Apr)

2018-04-05 , 11:06 am

Four universities of Singapore were successfully hacked into for access to online libraries and research data.

If you’re wondering why you didn’t read about this in Straits Times, it’s because it’s under their premium content category.

But don’t worry, we’ve written about it here for you. Or at least the bare bones lah.

Read on to find out about the successful hacking attempt, MasterChef UK Judges’ latest antics (their pattern really more than badminton siol) and Grab’s latest promise.

You’re welcome! 😉

NTU, NUS, SMU and SUTD Hacked For Research Data

When you think hackers, you’re probably imagining this.

While I can’t claim to know how hackers work (cuz I’m not one, but I wished I am), their methods to gain access to your system might not need be as sophisticated.

They could just set up a webpage similar to an organisation’s log in page, and direct you to enter your credentials there instead.

And voila, they’re in.

(BTW that’s called social engneering)

That was what happened to NTU, SMU, SUTD and NUS.

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that at least 52 accounts were affected across the four universities.

However, no sensitive data were stolen.

The attackers used phishing attacks against staff members to get their credentials and gain access to research data and online libraries.

Users within the universities’ systems are encouraged to change their passwords and check their networks.

Here’s a simple example of a phishing attack because it sounds so damn cheem:

Looks damn legit, and if you didn’t read the entire thing properly, you’d never know that it’s fake.

That’s why security experts always say, “Even a perfectly secured system will be compromised once you add in the human element.”

S’poreans Receiving Texts From ‘Kidnappers’, Demand $500K Ransom

Are you the precious daughter of someone else, or have one yourself? Then you need to know this new scam that’s taking place in Singapore.

The SPF said that it has received “numerous reports” about such cases, and asks the public to keep calm and not transfer any money.

Instead, they should try to contact their loved ones and see if they’re alright. Then block the number and lodge a police report.

In other words, be Liam Neeson.

Okay, on a more serious note, you might think that this is a lousy scam. But it might just work, especially on the older generation.

So make sure you’re always contactable, and tell them about this new scam.

You won’t want them to throw their life savings away, right?

MasterChef UK Judge Wallace Says His Comment Interpreted Wrongly

If you didn’t know about the MasterChef UK rendang saga (where have you been?!), you can read a simple summary here.

Like my colleague said, it’s amazing how an Asian dish can unite three countries together. Guess that’s just how much we really love food, huh?

And MasterChef UK Judge, Gregg Wallace, finally stepped out to explain himself on ITV’s Good Morning, Britain.

By the way, he was the one to make the “skin not crispy” comment.

He said that he knew how rendang was supposed to be prepared, and he meant that the chicken wasn’t cooked. It was just “white and flabby”.

And when questioned about his “crispy” comment, he replied, “Rest assure that the best cooks will go through”.

Both him and John Torode said that contestant Zaleha was kicked out of the show not because the chicken wasn’t crispy, but she just wasn’t good enough.

Netizens were shaking their heads at the judges’ attempts in covering up their mistakes.

Here, you can watch the video for yourself.

On a side note

Savage.

Boracay To Be Closed To Tourists For 6 Mths Starting 26 Apr

If you’ve always wanted to travel to an island resort and live in luxury for a couple of days this year, you can strike Boracay off your list.

Unless you don’t mind going during monsoon season lah.

The president of Philippines, Mr Rodrigo Duterte, described the place as a “cesspool” (read: shithole) and gave the go-ahead to close the resort island down to fix sewage and environment-related problems.

It will be closed from 26 Apr 2018 and the closure is expected to last for six months.

But it could be a good thing.

At least 300 hotels, inns and resorts were found illegally dumping their waste into canals meant for rainwater.

The waters around the island are full of contamination and can cause diarrhoea.

If you happen to have booked a trip to the island within this period, remember to go cancel your tickets or push it back till it’s opened again.

And who knows, this time, the resort island might really become a slice of heaven, with clean water and all.

S’pore To Have 3 Long Weekends With 1 Super-Long Weekend in 2019

It’s incredible how efficient Singapore is when it comes to the things that really matter. Like the number of long weekends in 2019.

Announced even before we’re halfway through 2018.

In 2019, there will be 11 public holidays, the Ministry of Manpower announced, with five of them falling on a Friday or Sunday.

So does this mean there are five long weekends?

Nope.

There’s only four, but here’s the good news. You’re getting three normal long weekends, and one super long weekend.

Good Friday (19 Apr) and National Day (9 Aug) falls on a Friday. Vesak Day (19 May), Hari Raya Haji (11 Aug) and Deepavali (27 Oct) falls on a Sunday.

But because National Day and Hari Raya fall on the same weekend (9 Aug & 11 Aug), you’ll have four whole days of break instead.

And to show that the MOM knows what we really want, they’ve even thoughtfully provide you with a cheat sheet to getting more long weekends.

Can start to apply for next year’s leave liao! #DontSayBojioHor

Grab S’pore Office’s Head Says Won’t Raise Prices In Short-To-Medium Term

I know, I know, anything that has to do with Grab is old news. Everybody has moved on, so why hasn’t Goody Feed?

But this is important. Like real important, at least to people who often take private-hire cars.

Grab’s top dog in Singapore, Lim Kell Jay, has spoken about the Grab-Uber acquisition. Or to be more exact, on how the prices will be affected.

He promised that Grab will not raise its fares or commission rates in the short-to-medium term.

However, he can’t promise this in the long-term because Grab is kept in check by a “self-regulating mechanism”.

If fares are too high, riders will leave. And if earnings are too low, drivers will leave. This forces Grab to maintain an equilibrium, especially in terms of fares.

He also pointed out that there are many convenient alternative transports like taxis and the MRT in Singapore, so there shouldn’t be any fear of monopolising by Grab.

So the main takeaway from this? Grab is highly likely not to increase prices anytime soon, especially not now when the authorities are looking closely at them.

But then again, with surges…

Join our newsletter, whereby we’ll send you an email daily on the top five articles published the day before, to start your day with a blast! Also, you’ll get a $7 Shopee and $10 Shopback cashback just by joining our newsletter for free!

Click Here to Get Your $7 Voucher + $10 Cashback!

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com