Government portals among 9,000 regional servers hit by malware: Interpol
Operation involving Interpol and regional investigators reveals compromised servers across Asean region
A cybersecurity operation run out of the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) here has uncovered some 9,000 malware-laden servers and compromised websites in the Asean region, including government portals.
The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) said yesterday that it worked with investigators from seven countries and seven private sector companies in the operation.
The countries involved were Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
China also provided additional cyber intelligence.
The IGCI, which occupies the former site of the Tanglin Police Division headquarters in Napier Road, was opened here in April 2015.
The investigators identified about 8,800 servers in the Asean region which were acting as command and control points, which are systems used to control and spread malicious software known as malware.
These affected servers were involved in targeting financial institutions, spreading ransomware, launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and distributing spam.
The operation also found almost 270 websites in the Asean region infected with a malware code which exploited a vulnerability in the website design application.
Among them were several government websites which may have contained personal data of their citizens.
The Singapore Police Force will continue to work closely with our Asean counterparts and the Interpol community to eradicate criminal activities in cyberspace. Commander of the Cybercrime Command of the Singapore police, Assistant Commissioner Cheng Khee Boon
Interpol says investigations are ongoing.
IGCI Executive Director Noboru Nakatani said the operation was a perfect example of how the public and private sectors can work efficiently together in combating cybercrime.
"With direct access to the information, expertise and capabilities of the private sector and specialists from the Cyber Fusion Centre, participants were able to fully appreciate the scale and scope of cybercrime actors across the region and in their countries," said Mr Nakatani.
"The Singapore Police Force will continue to work closely with our Asean counterparts and the Interpol community to eradicate criminal activities in cyberspace," said Assistant Commissioner Cheng Khee Boon, commander of the Cybercrime Command of the Singapore police.
"We will spare no effort to track down cybercriminals who think that they can operate under the impunity of cross jurisdictions."
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