China's Hacker Group Allegedly Hacked SingTel, Here's The Proof

JAKARTA - A hacker group suspected of having links to China's country managed to penetrate the Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) system last June. The hack is thought to be part of a global campaign targeting telecommunications companies and critical infrastructure operators, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, November 5.

Researchers claim that this violation was committed by a hacker group called Volt Typhoon, as revealed by two people familiar with the matter.

"Our side detected malware in June, which was then immediately addressed and reported to the relevant authorities. No data was taken, and services continued uninterrupted," a SingTel spokesman said.

However, SingTel could not confirm whether the incident was the same incident Bloomberg reported, saying, "We are commenting on speculation."

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told Bloomberg that he was not aware of his specific details, but in general, China firmly opposed and fought cyber attacks and data theft. The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media.

Volt Typhoon is also known to have infiltrated the critical infrastructure sector in the United States, including in the field of telecommunications and energy. However, China claims that its security agency has published evidence showing that the group is linked to an international ransomware organization.

Bloomberg reports that the SingTel hack is suspected of being a trial by China for a larger cyberattack in the future against US telecommunications companies. Information from the incident offers new insights into the increased cyberattacks suspected of being carried out by China, which targets critical infrastructure abroad.