SPH Media cyberattacks, Digi Mart USA News (Singapore): SPH Media said on Nov 10 that it was hit by cyberattacks that affected 9% of its database. The company said it suspects the intrusions could be AI-enabled attacks, based on preliminary investigations.
The exposed information was predominantly email addresses, as well as some names, mailing addresses and phone numbers. No payment card details, financial or banking information, or customer accounts were compromised, the media company said.
In a statement, SPH Media said it had identified cyberattacks on five of its systems, which it believed were “a concerted effort that was carried out by the same threat actor.” The first incident was detected on Nov 4, and the most recent on Nov 8.
The breaches arose from a combination of factors, including software bugs and system configuration, a company spokesman said. Upon discovering the incidents, SPH Media said it immediately took steps to secure the affected systems and engaged external cybersecurity experts to investigate and contain the breaches.
The organisation reported the incidents to the Personal Data Protection Commission, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Infocomm Media Development Authority, and filed a police report.
“SPH Media takes the security and confidentiality of customers’ information very seriously, and has been working very closely with the relevant authorities and third-party specialists,” the spokesman said. The company advised customers to remain vigilant and exercise caution with suspicious and unsolicited emails, messages and calls, particularly those requesting personal information, passwords or payments, and to avoid clicking suspicious links or attachments.
The attacks affected two groups of systems managed in-house: one that contained some personal data, and another that did not store any personal data, the spokesman said. The media group’s news sites and subscription services were unaffected.
No corporate customers’ information was affected, while some email addresses belonging to SPH Media employees were compromised. Affected employees have been informed to remain vigilant and exercise caution.
SPH Media said it has applied bug fixes to its information technology systems, updated system configurations, and strengthened its perimeter defences to block further probing and exploitation attempts. It has also heightened its monitoring and is enhancing its cyberdefences to better detect AI-aided attacks, including safeguards to identify vulnerabilities earlier and remediate them swiftly.
“We remain committed to safeguarding our systems and the information entrusted to us,” the spokesman said.
