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 account was compromised, the company said.
In a statement on Nov 10, the media company 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 incident on Nov 8.
The breaches arose from a combination of factors, including software bugs and system configuration, said its spokesman. 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 also 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,” said the spokesman.
The spokesman 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 on suspicious links or attachments.
The attacks affected two groups of systems managed in-house by SPH Media: one that contained some personal data, and another that did not store any personal data, said the spokesman. The media group’s news sites and subscription services were unaffected, he added.
SPH Media said it has applied bug fixes to its information technology systems and updated system configurations. It has also updated its perimeter defenses to block further probing and exploitation attempts by the attackers, and heightened its monitoring posture.
No corporate customers’ information was affected by the cyberattacks, while some email addresses belonging to SPH Media employees were compromised. The affected employees have been informed to remain vigilant and exercise caution, the company added.
SPH Media said it will continue to closely monitor its systems, as cyberattacks can happen at any time and at any frequency. The company is also enhancing its cyberdefenses to better detect AI-aided attacks, including safeguards to identify vulnerabilities earlier and remediate them swiftly, said the spokesman.
“We remain committed to safeguarding our systems and the information entrusted to us,” said the spokesman.
