14 DAY TRIAL // Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) reported that “unusually high Internet traffic” to many government sites was observed on November 5, the day on which Anonymous hacktivists from all over the world took part in protests against governments.
“This was indicative of attempts to scan for vulnerabilities or potential DDoS attempts,” the IDA stated.
Anonymous hackers announced their intentions of targeting the Singapore government around one week ago.
The most notable results of their operation so far have been announced a few hours ago, when hacktivists managed to deface the websites of the prime minister and the presidency by exploiting a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability.
Only the search subpages of the PMO and Istana websites have been compromised. The main websites are working properly. Their restoration is underway.
In the meantime, the IDA and the police are investigating the incident.
Hackers have also taken credit for government website downtimes, but authorities in Singapore claim the sites were shut down as part of planned maintenance procedures, not cyberattacks.
The IDA informs Internet users that they might continue to experience intermittent issues when they want to access the sites, due to the ongoing strengthening process.
“In view of the threats against Singapore Government ICT infrastructure last week, Government agencies were put on heightened vigilance. They enhanced the security of their IT systems by bringing forward their maintenance plans which included checking for vulnerabilities, software patching, testing links, and putting in DDoS mitigation measures,” the IDA stated.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has threatened the hacktivists. In a statement to the press made a couple of days ago, Lee noted that authorities “will spare no effort” when it comes to tracking down those who attack government websites.