Many organisations have experienced cyber incidents
According to a 2025 survey published by Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA), nearly nine in ten of the businesses and non-profit organisations surveyed had experienced at least one cyber incident. Ransomware was the most commonly reported type of incident, followed by compromised credentials and social engineering attacks such as phishing.
Cyberattacks are no longer a concern for large companies alone. Small and medium-sized businesses and non-profit organisations may also be at risk, particularly when they have limited staff or cybersecurity expertise.
Data can be exposed through vendors and testing environments
Recent incidents show that data breaches do not only result from direct attacks on an organisation’s live systems. Vendor systems and development or testing environments can also become sources of unauthorised access or poor data handling.
In October 2026, unauthorised access to the membership database of healthcare services provider Alliance Medinet reportedly affected about 110,000 people. The potentially exposed information included names, identification numbers and contact details. Customers of insurance companies that use Alliance Medinet’s services were also among those affected. CNA report
In July 2026, personal information belonging to about 70,000 people was reportedly exposed in a cloud environment managed by IBM, a vendor to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). The information included names, NRIC numbers and past addresses. Data intended for testing was supposed to be anonymised, but it was found to contain real personal information. CNA report
Critical infrastructure and financial services are also targets
In 2025, customer information from DBS and Bank of China’s Singapore branch was extracted in a ransomware attack on Toppan Next Tech, a company providing printing and mailing services. The authorities said that customers’ bank login credentials were not compromised. However, the incident highlighted the risks of data breaches through third-party vendors. Joint statement by CSA and MAS
The telecommunications sector has also been targeted. Singtel, M1, StarHub and SIMBA, Singapore’s four major telcos, were hit by a sophisticated cyberattack. According to the authorities, the attackers accessed some critical systems, but there was no evidence of disruption to telecommunications services or theft of customer data. CNA report
Cybersecurity matters to individuals too
After a data breach is reported, people should also watch out for scams and phishing attempts using the exposed information. Fraudsters may impersonate businesses or government agencies and send emails, text messages or calls claiming to help with the breach or asking recipients to verify their accounts.
Before opening links in suspicious messages or sharing passwords and verification codes, check the information through the organisation’s official website or a contact number you already know.
Conclusion
Singapore has seen ransomware attacks and sophisticated targeted intrusions, as well as data breaches involving vendors, cloud environments and the handling of information used for testing. Cybersecurity requires organisations to protect not only their own systems, but also the information they share with vendors and other business partners.
Individuals also need to do more than follow the news. They should stay alert to scams and phishing attempts that may follow a data breach.
