CYBER attackers have stolen basic personal data from about 850 Singapore national servicemen and employees in a possible attempt to access official secrets, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry detected the breach this month in the I-net system that allows internet surfing using dedicated computer terminals on defence ministry and Singapore Armed Forces premises, the ministry said in a statement.
No classified military information was stored on I-net, the ministry said.
“The attack on I-net appeared to be targeted and carefully planned,” it said.
“The real purpose may have been to gain access to official secrets, but this was prevented by the physical separation of I-net from our internal systems.”
Stolen data included telephone numbers, dates of birth and national ID numbers, it said. The ministry told the Cyber Security Agency and the Government Technology Agency to investigate other government systems, but no other breaches had been detected.
Last year, Singapore kick-started a process to separate the work computers of its public servants from the internet as a defence against potential cyber attacks.
But even before that, some ministries, including the defence and the foreign affairs ministries, had been using separate systems for web surfing. – Reuters
American director Bill Condon (left), 61, admits to feeling pressure over the huge hype surrounding his live-action remake of Disney’s 1991 classic Beauty And The Beast.
The trailer for his new film alone had 126.7 million views within the first 24 hours of its release, making it the third most-viewed online trailer of all time, after Rings (2017) and The Fate Of The Furious (2017).
In a telephone interview with The Straits Times from Beijing yesterday, where Condon was promoting the new movie, he says that one of his “biggest fears” of taking on this project is knowing how popular the original animated flim had been.
“There is that fear that when people love the original film so much, that we would somehow do something that would betray the original.
“Because it means so much to people, I thought it was so important that we not reinvent the entire thing.”
Having said that, he wants to clarify that the new film, which opens in cinemas on March 16, is not a blatant clone of the old one.
The new take on the musical will add more depth to the story, and at least three new songs, he says.
“We want people to really believe this romance and how do you do that? By knowing more about the characters.
“So that means adding story to explain what happened to Belle, what happened to her mother, what happened to the Beast and what influenced him into becoming the monster who deserved that curse. So to answer those questions, we had to add scenes, and of course, we had to musicalise that.”
The upcoming remake stars Harry Potter actress Emma Watson as Belle, and Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens as the Beast.
Emma Watson plays Belle and Dan Stevens is the Beast in Beauty And The Beast.Photo: Walt Disney Pictures
Taking on the role of the villainous Gaston is Luke Evans.
Big names such as Kevin Kline, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson and Ewan McGregor lend their voices in supporting roles.
With so many A-listers working together on a single project, Condon says that shooting the film’s final celebration scene was one of the most memorable moments of his life.
“When you have everyone in human form, from Ewan to Ian and Dan, and they are all on the set together singing and dancing, it’s just one of those things you never forget,” says the film-maker, whose directing credits include Kinsey (2004), Dreamgirls (2006) and The Fifth Estate (2013).
He also puts to rest any lingering doubt over Watson’s singing abilities.
“She has never been in a musical before, but it was something she was interested in doing, so she recorded a song for us.
“I heard it and she has a really lovely voice. So in terms of casting, she is the only person we considered for the role. She lived up to, and exceeded all of my expectations. She’s the secret sauce to making this new movie work.”
Although this is a fairy tale and is centred on one of Disney’s most famous princesses, the director is confident that the film will appeal not only to young girls.
“The Beast is a great character and I always felt connected to him. He is actually more scared and sensitive than what we would think of someone who became an actual animal.
“We all think of ourselves as monsters at certain moments and want to feel that even that monster side of us could be understood and be made better.”
Sounding genuinely excited, he adds: “I just want fans to know that everyone who worked on this movie loves the original as much as you do.”
yipwy@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on Feb 28, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Seoul – The heir to the Samsung empire and four other top executives from the world’s biggest smartphone maker were indicted Tuesday on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement, South Korean prosecutors said.
“Special prosecutors today indicted Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-Yong… for bribery, embezzlement, hiding of assets overseas… and perjury,” said Lee Kyu-Chul, spokesman for the team probing the corruption and power abuse scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye impeached.
Lee was arrested earlier this month and the laying of formal charges against him and his colleagues makes them almost certain to face trial, casting new uncertainty over South Korea’s biggest firm as it seeks to recover from a humiliating recall.
The 48-year-old has effectively been at the helm of the conglomerate since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014.
Among other allegations, Lee is accused of paying nearly US$40 million (S$56.11 million) in bribes to a confidante of President Park’s to secure policy favours. Lee – who is also accused of concealing stolen assets – has denied all charges.
His colleagues face similar charges except for the perjury count.
The scandal centres on Choi Soon-Sil, who is accused of using her close ties with Park to force local firms to “donate” nearly US$70 million to non-profit foundations, which Choi allegedly used for personal gain.
Samsung was the single biggest donor to the foundations. It is also accused of separately giving millions of euros to Choi to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany.
Lee’s arrest marked the first for a Samsung chief and dealt a huge blow to the electronics giant’s corporate image.
SINGAPORE: A breach in an Internet-connected system at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) earlier this month has resulted in the personal data of 850 national servicemen and employees being stolen, the ministry said on Tuesday (Feb 28).
No classified military data were stolen in the breach of the I-net system, MINDEF said. Classified military information is stored on a separate system that is not connected to the Internet and has more stringent security features, it added.
The I-net system is used by national servicemen and MINDEF employees to access the Internet via dedicated terminals in ministry premises and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) camps.
The stolen personal data include NRIC numbers, telephone numbers and dates of birth – information which was stored on the system for account management, such as to track usage and surfing behaviour. No passwords were lost, the ministry said.
The affected server was disconnected after the breach was discovered, with immediate and detailed forensic investigations conducted on the entire I-net system to determine the extent of the attack, MINDEF said.
ATTACKS WERE TARGETED, WELL-PLANNED: MINDEF
According to MINDEF, the attack originated online and not from an SAF camp, and the aim was to gain access to official secrets.
“The attacks were targeted and well-planned. Based on our investigations, they are not the work of casual hackers or criminal gangs,” said MINDEF’s Deputy Secretary for Technology David Koh.
Mr Koh, who also leads the Government’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA), added that the physical, multi-layered separation of I-net from internal systems prevented the attackers from being able to penetrate deeper into internal systems containing classified military information.
MINDEF said it has informed CSA and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore to investigate other government systems. No breaches of these systems have been detected so far.
As a precaution, all other computer systems in MINDEF and SAF will be checked, it added.
MINDEF said it defends itself against hundreds of thousands of cyber intrusion attempts on a daily basis, amid a global landscape where online threats and attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated.
HELPDESK TO BE SET UP FOR AFFECTED PERSONNEL
The ministry will contact the national servicemen and employees who had their data stolen within the week. They will be advised to change their passwords for other systems that may use the stolen personal information, and to report any unusual activity in the use of their personal information to MINDEF or SAF. A special helpdesk will also be set up to assist them.
On why the breach was not announced earlier, MINDEF said it needed to maintain operational security and to conduct its investigation. It added that a press briefing was called once the extent and severity of the breach were clear.
Despite the incident, MINDEF said it will not cut off Internet access for national servicemen and employees, but will continue to strengthen its cyberdefence as the level of attacks rise.
“It’s no secret that government agencies, including MINDEF, are prime targets, and we are under constant cyberattack. Because of this we need to continually be vigilant and improve our cyber defences so that we remain resilient against cyberattacks,” said Mr Koh.
This is the first such cybersecurity breach in MINDEF. Other significant cyberattacks on the Singapore Government include the breach of the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s IT system in 2014, and the hacking of the Istana and Prime Minister’s Office websites in 2013.
If you’re one of those people who think the Oscars is kinda boring, well, we certainly hope that Sunday night changed your mind.
There was a gluttony of incredible, if often cringeworthy moments: From that Hollywood tour randomly paying a visit, to that wild ending in which Moonlight was (eventually) crowned Best Picture.
There were plenty of moments the internet couldn’t help but pick out.
But don’t worry, we’ve compiled Twitter’s top 10 most retweeted tweets from the Oscars.
Please enjoy.
This red carpet observation scored plenty of retweets.
Los Angeles – President Donald Trump said Monday the chaos that erupted at the end of the Oscars was due to Hollywood obsessing about him rather than concentrating on running a smooth show.
In an Oval Office interview with conservative website Breitbart News, Trump said Oscars organizers had taken their eyes off the ball because they “were focused so hard on politics.”
“It was a little sad. It took away from the glamour of the Oscars,” he told the site, which was previously managed by Steve Bannon, who now serves as Trump’s chief White House strategist.
“It didn’t feel like a very glamorous evening. I’ve been to the Oscars. There was something very special missing, and then to end that way was sad.”
Trump’s comments came after Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mistakenly presented the best picture statuette at the climax of the ceremony to “La La Land,” when “Moonlight” was the real winner.
The mixup, which made for a chaotic end to ABC’s telecast of the show, has been described as one of the most embarrassing moments in Oscars history.
With the dust settling on the controversy, the finger of blame has settled on PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Brian Cullinan, who was responsible, along with colleague Martha Ruiz, for ensuring that each awards presenter was handed the correct envelope.
Cullinan pulled the envelope that was supposed to be for best picture winner from the wrong pile, the company said.
“He is very upset about this mistake. And it is also my mistake, our mistake and we all feel very bad,” said Tim Ryan, PwC’s US chairman, according to trade magazine Variety.
Trump had been the target of light-hearted jokes and serious derision throughout the night as Oscar-winners railed against his immigration policies.
Host Jimmy Kimmel trolled the Republican via Twitter during the live broadcast and mocked the commander-in-chief’s criticism of screen icon Meryl Streep.
“I want to say thank you to President Trump. Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? That’s gone, thanks to him!” Kimmel scoffed.
Trump doesn’t explain in the interview why he thinks the jokes at his expense led to the unrelated error, and it is unclear if he watched the show.
Breitbart, one of several news outlets favored by America’s white nationalist extremist fringe, said the comments came in a lengthy interview covering health care, tax cuts, immigration and a variety of other topics.
Breitbart said the mixup came after what it called “hours of Trump-bashing by the Hollywood elites.”
“Now, the president has got the last laugh as he hammers Hollywood for its epic fail,” it added.
The announcement of the wrong Best Picture winner was all anyone could talk about at the exclusive Oscar after-parties hosted by studios and talent agencies on Sunday night.
The Straits Times was at the Oscar viewing and after-parties held by both Lionsgate – the studio behind La La Land – and The Weinstein Company, which produced nominated film, Lion.
One invitee at the Lionsgate soiree said the moment the La La Land win was revealed to be a mistake “sucked the air out of the room” at the studio’s private party held at Soho House West Hollywood, where guests rubbed shoulders with nominees such as Mel Gibson (nominated for Best Director for Hacksaw Ridge) and other celebrities, including actors Tobey Maguire and Vince Vaughn.
“One minute everyone was cheering – and then we saw the guy with the mic rushing around on stage and we knew something was wrong,” said an actor at the Lionsgate party, who declined to be named.
The excruciating moment was also greeted with a collective intake of breath at The Weinstein Company party held at Tao restaurant in Hollywood.
At both parties, speculation about whose fault it was and what had happened was rife, with a few early conspiracy theories being floated.
“Maybe it was a prank,” said one studio executive of the envelope mix-up.
Oscar-nominated Singaporean sound editor Ai-Ling Lee, 38, who missed out on an Oscar this year and was at the Lionsgate party, said she felt bad for the La La Land winners having to go through that on stage, but felt it was “very gracious” of the movie’s producer Jordan Horowitz to take charge and rectify the mistake the way he did.
The mood at the Lionsgate event was jubilant, nevertheless, because of the other wins its film had racked up, including Best Actress for Emma Stone and Best Director for Damien Chazelle.
At the Weinstein party, each nomination that Lion was up for drew cheers, then a subdued silence as it lost to the other contenders.
As one disgruntled Weinstein loyalist dismissively remarked when La La Land picked up yet another statue, “La La Land, schmalaland”.
From renting out Wi-Fi routers to selling city tours and rail passes, Changi Airport is doing a thriving business giving travellers what they want.
It started in 2012 with one store in Terminal 2 selling tickets and vouchers to places of interest, restaurants and shops in Singapore – as part of a tie-up with just 15 merchants.
Since then, the Changi Recommends initiative has grown to eight stores across all three terminals, and now serves both arriving and departing passengers.
More than 100 merchants in about 30 destinations, such as Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Britain, are on board – offering a plethora of services and products, including airport transfers.
Many of the services, which can be booked in advance online, are offered at discounted prices.
For example, an adult entry pass to Warner Bros Movie World in Gold Coast, Australia, costs $79, instead of the usual $90 if bought at the door.
And a ticket to Tokyo Disneyland can be purchased at $93, $9 off the usual price.
Changi Travel Services – a Changi Airport Group subsidiary which runs the Changi Recommends services – receives an undisclosed cut from tickets and packages sold.
Changi Travel Services general manager Ng Yansheng stressed, however, that the priority is to meet the needs of passengers.
“We are, hence, focused on service quality and the growth of our services for now,” he said, adding that the inventory will be expanded in the coming months to include attractions in Europe and the United States.
Apart from tickets to places of interest, a popular service is the rental of Wi-Fi routers, which started in 2015, Mr Ng said.
These devices allow users to get data access without incurring overseas roaming charges or having to buy a new SIM card.
“For as low as $5 a day – charges vary according to destination – these can be used in ASEAN, North Asia, Europe and North America.
In the coming months, we are looking at expanding our coverage to include India and the Middle East,” Mr Ng said.
With airports increasingly competing for travellers and vying to become key transit hubs, it is important for Changi to think out of the box, industry experts said.
Mr Ramanathan Mohandas, head of the diploma programme in aviation management at Republic Polytechnic, said: “Airports are no longer just for people to board planes. Travellers expect more – good shopping, good dining and, these days, good services.
“By providing such value-added services, Changi clearly hopes to delight passengers so that they want to come back.”
It is important, though, for the airport to work with reputable partners and merchants, especially those based overseas, so that transactions can be processed smoothly, he added.
Marketing executive Alice Tan, 45, said: “The rental of Wi-Fi routers is a great service. The device can be used for several gadgets, which is really convenient. I don’t like the hassle of using pre-paid SIM cards.”
karam@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on February 28, 2017. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Mount Baekdu, which straddles the China-North Korea border, is the highest and most sacred mountain on the Korean peninsula.
It is the place where North Korean founding leader Kim Il Sung fought against Japanese occupation forces, and where his son Kim Jong Il was born. Or at least that is what North Koreans are told to believe.
Mr Kim Jong Il with his youngest son, Mr Kim Jong Un, as they watch a parade to mark the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang on Oct 10, 2010. Mr Kim Jong Un was born to a different mother from Mr Kim Jong Nam. Photo: Reuters
The so-called “Mount Baekdu bloodline” is used by the Kim family to legitimise its iron-fist rule in North Korea for the past seven decades. Sadly, the bloodline is also the most probable reason why Mr Kim Jong Nam, 45, was killed in Kuala Lumpur two weeks ago.
A picture taken in August 1981 showing Mr Kim Jong Nam seated next to his father, the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Behind them are Mr Kim Jong Nam’s aunt, Ms Song Hye Rang, sister of his mother, Ms Song Hye Rim; and her children, Ri Nam Ok and Il Nam. All three in the back row later defected to the South. Photo: EPA
Born to Mr Kim Jong Il and popular actress Song Hye Rim, Mr Kim Jong Nam lived a life of luxury from young. “Kim Jong Il doted on his son – sleeping with him, eating dinner and telephoning him when he was too busy to return home,” said North Korean leadership expert Michael Madden, a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University.
Contrary to reports that Mr Kim Jong Nam fell out of favour after he was caught trying to enter Japan in 2001 using a fake passport, the father and son kept in contact until the last months that Mr Kim Jong Il was alive, Mr Madden told The Straits Times.
“As in many parent-adult child relationships, they certainly had conflicts and arguments. However, he was never cut off from contact or support from his father.”
Even when he was in exile in Macau, he reportedly managed his father’s slush funds, negotiated weapons deals and travelled to South-east Asia to launder money and manage the family’s businesses in the region.
“Jong Nam had a trust account and earned money doing favours for his father,” Mr Madden said.
Every year on his birthday, Mr Kim Jong Nam, seen here with his grandmother, was known to have put on a military uniform. He would get “promoted” by his father.Photo: AFP
Upon the death of Mr Kim Jong Il in 2011, the eldest son inherited “no small sum of money” from his father, according to the South Korean media.
He also took over the Kim family’s secret accounts following the death in late 2013 of his uncle, Mr Jang Song Thaek. The former No. 2 man in North Korea, who was said to be close to the Chinese leadership, was executed – on orders from Mr Kim Jong Un – for treason after being branded “despicable human scum”.
Mr Madden said that Mr Kim Jong Nam sometimes played a direct supervisory role in managing some of the Kim regime and family accounts, and sometimes, he was just an interlocutor.
These accounts were “not under the control of Kim Jong Un”, said Mr Madden.
The residential building where Mr Kim Jong Nam was believed to have lived in the Taipa district of Macau. His modest life there was a far cry from the opulence and power enjoyed by his half-brother, Jong Un. Photo: AFP
Speculation has it that Mr Kim Jong Un had ordered his half-brother Jong Nam to return to Pyongyang with all the money in order to help ease the state’s financial burden due to toughened United Nations sanctions.
But Mr Kim Jong Nam refused.
He was also known to have ties with Office 39, a secretive government division which provides the ruling Kim family with billions of dollars from an array of illicit and licit businesses.
South Korean think-tank Sejong Institute’s senior researcher, Dr Hong Hyun Ik, was cited as saying by Yonhap news agency that Mr Kim Jong Nam carried out deals involving North Korean weapons when he was living in China.
There were also rumours that he frequented casinos in South-east Asia to launder money, while some media reports said he indulged in gambling.
Mr Madden said he was not necessarily a high-roller, although he did enjoy slot machines, pachinko, and a variety of board and card games.
The street outside an oceanfront villa (centre left), one of the properties where Mr Kim Jong Nam was believed to have lived in Macau. Even though he lived overseas, Mr Kim was still seen as a threat by Pyongyang. Photo: AFP
The talk is that Beijing offered protection to Mr Kim Jong Nam as an alternative heir in case his younger half-brother got dethroned.
Born to different mothers, the two brothers were raised separately and met only once – during the private funeral of their grandfather, Mr Kim Il Sung, in 1994.
North Korea expert Ken Gause, writing in the book North Korean House Of Cards, said Mr Kim Jong Il in his will and testament had “urged that Kim Jong Nam be left alone and not targeted or harassed by the regime”.
In the wake of Mr Kim Jong Nam’s death, attention has shifted to his firstborn child – 21-year-old Kim Han Sol. Once, during a rare TV interview in 2012, the young Kim called Mr Kim Jong Un a “dictator”.
“I really didn’t know until later on that my grandfather was a leader in Korea… Little by little, through conversations my parents had, I started to put the puzzle pieces together and then I realised who he was.” MR KIM HAN SOL, Mr Kim Jong Nam’s first-born child, on not being aware of his lineage until he was much older.Photo: Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle
His reply to a question why his uncle was appointed as leader was: “My dad was definitely not really interested in politics.
“I really don’t know how he (Mr Kim Jong Un) became a dictator… It was between him and my grandfather.”
Mr Kim Han Sol, a graduate of France’s prestigious Sciences Po university, also said he had not been aware of his lineage until he was much older.
“I really didn’t know until later on that my grandfather was a leader in Korea…
“Little by little, through conversations my parents had, I started to put the puzzle pieces together and then I realised who he was,” he told Finnish broadcaster Yle. He has never met his grandfather.
South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo said Mr Kim Han Sol and his family are in Macau. “They are under the protection of the Chinese authorities,” he said.
Beijing has neither confirmed nor denied this.
changmc@sph.com.sg
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Half-brother of N Korean leader assassinated in Malaysia
Singapore-based firm Pan Systems had no connection to Glocom, the North Korean front company that violated United Nations sanctions by selling battlefield radio equipment, claims its managing director, Mr Louis Low.
His denial comes after a report by Reuters yesterday, citing a UN report drafted for the Security Council, which said Glocom was operated by the Pyongyang branch of Pan Systems.
The report also said the North Korean branch of Pan Systems made use of bank accounts, front companies and agents in China and Malaysia to trade in radio components and accessories.
Mr Low claimed that his firm had begun withdrawing from North Korea from 2007, after the UN imposed sanctions on the secretive regime.
While confirming that Pan Systems sold electronic goods such as IBM PC-compatible computers in the North Korean market from 1996 to 2007, he insisted the business dealings were all “above board” and categorically denied any links with Glocom, short for Global Communications Co.
Mr Low suspects that his firm was implicated in the Reuters report when a North Korean air shipment of military radio accessories, labelled “Glocom”, was seized last July and traced to his company through a middleman he had used for his North Korean transactions.
The middleman, Ms Ryang Su Nyo, was an agent with Liaison Office 519, the North Korean intelligence agency in the Reconnaissance General Bureau tasked with overseas operations and weapons procurement, according to a Reuters source with direct knowledge of her background.
Ms Ryang – a listed shareholder of International Global System, the company that registered Glocom’s website – reportedly visited Singapore and Malaysia regularly to meet representatives of Pan Systems.
Her main task was to engage customers for Pan Systems’ business in North Korea, said Mr Low, who denied having any prior knowledge of her links to government branches.
He also said that by 2010, his contact with Ms Ryang and business in North Korea had been terminated after the imposition of UN sanctions.
The sanctions, including the 2009 UN resolution which imposed an embargo of military equipment and all related material against North Korea, were compounded by increasing competition from Chinese-made products, which affected Mr Low’s profit margin, forcing him to eventually withdraw.
He claimed his firm, a member of the Singapore Business Federation and Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, was a victim of stolen identity, targeted by Ms Ryang because of its good reputation.
He said she continued using Pan Systems’ name to set up bank accounts for illicit purposes after 2010, and that he learnt of the misuse only late last year when he was contacted by the UN for clarification.
“It was the first time I heard it and came as a complete shock,” he said.
Besides Ms Ryang, Reuters also identified Pan Systems’ representative in Kuala Lumpur, a North Korean man named Kim Chang Hyok. Mr Kim was reportedly the subject of an expulsion request made by a UN panel to the Malaysian government.
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Half-brother of N Korean leader assassinated in Malaysia
However, Mr Low denied that his partnership with Mr Kim was evidence of his links to Glocom or any North Korean activities that violated UN sanctions, which he said he took “very seriously”.
He reasoned that the Malaysian branch of Pan Systems was liquidated almost 30 years ago, before he ventured into the North Korean market or worked with Ms Ryang.
Mr Low added: “Pan Systems is aware of the allegations and has already been contacted by the UN last year for clarification.”
Yesterday, South Korean intelligence officials told lawmakers that four of the eight North Koreans whom Malaysia has identified as suspects in Mr Kim Jong Nam’s killing were agents from North Korea’s Ministry of State Security, or its secret police.
Two of them worked at the North Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry, and two others were affiliated with state-run carrier Air Koryo and Singwang Economics and Trading General Corp. The latter is one of the North Korean companies facing UN sanctions, reported Reuters.
