Hundreds of hackers have targeted Singapore’s defence ministry –- but the attacks were at the government’s invitation in an unusual attempt to strengthen cybersecurity.
Authorities said Wednesday they had paid out US$14,750 in prize money to the best of the 264 so-called “white hat” hackers — specialists who seek to break into networks to check for vulnerabilities — involved in the project.
Learn More at SecurityWeek’s Singapore ICS Cyber Security Conference
The program, which ran from mid-January to early February, was introduced after an embarrassing breach last year which saw hackers steal personal data from about 850 military servicemen and other employees from a defence ministry web portal.
It was run with cybersecurity network HackerOne, which specializes in coordinating “bug bounty programs” in which hackers are rewarded for spotting weaknesses in computer systems.
The top hacker in the contest was a Cyber Security Manager from Ernst and Young Singapore who gave his name only as Darrel and goes by the online moniker “Shivadagger”. He was awarded US$5,000.
A total of 97 vulnerability reports were submitted from 34 participants during the program, with 35 reports deemed valid, according to the defence ministry.
David Koh, the defence ministry’s cybersecurity chief, hailed the project. “Our systems are now more secure,” he said.
While Singapore has some of the most advanced weaponry in the region, Koh said the ministry was at increasing risk of being targeted, and attackers could range from high-school students in their basements to criminals and state-actors.
Related: Pentagon Hacked in New U.S. Air Force Bug Bounty Program
Learn More at SecurityWeek’s Singapore ICS Cyber Security Conference

More from AFP
- Cyberattacks Target Websites of German Airports, Admin
- Meta Slapped With 5.5 Million Euro Fine for EU Data Breach
- International Arrests Over ‘Criminal’ Crypto Exchange
- France Regulator Raps Apple Over App Store Ads
- More Political Storms for TikTok After US Government Ban
- Meta Hit With 390 Million Euro Fine Over EU Data Breaches
- Facebook Agrees to Pay $725 Million to Settle Privacy Suit
- China’s ByteDance Admits Using TikTok Data to Track Journalists
Latest News
- Critical Vulnerability Impacts Over 120 Lexmark Printers
- BIND Updates Patch High-Severity, Remotely Exploitable DoS Flaws
- Industry Reactions to Hive Ransomware Takedown: Feedback Friday
- Microsoft Urges Customers to Patch Exchange Servers
- Iranian APT Leaks Data From Saudi Arabia Government Under New Persona
- US Reiterates $10 Million Reward Offer After Disruption of Hive Ransomware
- Cyberattacks Target Websites of German Airports, Admin
- US Infiltrates Big Ransomware Gang: ‘We Hacked the Hackers’
