CONDEMNING the recent hacking incidents in Singapore as crimes, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong promised that those found guilty would be dealt with "to the full extent of the law" by the courts.
"We must not condone such malicious and harmful behaviour. It is not a prank when someone hacks websites and intrudes into computer systems. It is, in fact, a criminal act," he said yesterday.
Mr Lee was addressing some 200 people at the opening ceremony of the two-day Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers (Telmin) meeting at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
related: Asean warned, step up cyber defence
PM Lee warns hackers: 'We will track you down - even if you think you're anonymous'
The Singapore government will "spare no effort" to track down and bring to justice those who threatened to attack the country's infrastructure
In his first comments since the threat was issued, PM Lee said: "You may think you are anonymous. We will make the extra effort to find out who you are," reported The Straits Times. Speaking on the sidelines of a counter-terrorism exercise, codenamed Highcrest, PM Lee also said that the threat is taken seriously because the Internet and communications networks have become an "essential part" of life and business.
"Therefore, when someone threatens to do harm to it, to bring it down, to knock it out, we take that very seriously and we will spare no effort to try and track down the culprits.
"And if we can find him, we will bring him to justice and he will be dealt with, severly," added PM Lee.
related: We will track you down
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Singapore govt will 'track down' hackers
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has issued a stern warning to hackers looking to target the country, pledging to do whatever it takes to identify those responsible for cyberattacks against SIngapore.
Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of an event here Wednesday, Lee said cyberattacks were dangerous and taken "very seriously" by the government, according to a report by local English daily Today. "Our IT network, the Internet, [and] our communications have become an essential part of our business and our lives now.
"If your network is down, you can't connect, you can't work, you can't keep in touch with what's happening in the world, [and] with what's happening whether if it's in your business, your family, or in Singapore," he said. "And, therefore, when somebody threatens to do harm to it...we take that very seriously and we will spare no effort to try and track down the culprits. And if we can find him, we will bring him to justice and he will be dealt with severely. It has to be."
Govt takes cyberattack threats ‘very
seriously’: PM Lee
Cyberattacks are a danger to the Republic and something that the Government takes “very seriously”, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today (Nov 6).
“Our IT network, the Internet, our communications have become an essential part of our business and our lives now. If your network is down, you can’t connect, you can’t work, you can’t keep in touch with what’s happening in the world, with what’s happening whether if it’s in your business, your family, or in Singapore,” said Mr Lee.
“And, therefore, when somebody threatens to do harm to it … we take that very seriously and we will spare no effort to try and track down the culprits and if we can find him, we will bring him to justice and he will be dealt with severely. It has to be,” he said, speaking to reporters at the sidelines of Exercise Highcrest 2013
Singapore’s PM Vows to Track Down Anonymous
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong promised to track down hackers affiliated with the international hacktivist collective Anonymous on Wednesday, following the group’s threat that it would wage war against his government.
“When somebody threatens to do harm to [Singapore's information infrastructure], we take that very seriously and we will spare no effort to try and track down the culprits,” said Lee, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal
The Prime Minister’s statement follows a hacktivist’s successful infiltration of a pro-government newspaper’s web site last week, on which they posted a message protesting a new Internet licensing framework that seeks to rein in news sites operating in the city-state. Anonymous posted a video the same day on Youtube, saying that if the controversial scheme was not scraped then it would “be forced to go to war.”
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PM LEE: WE WILL TRACK YOU DOWN AND BRING YOU TO JUSTICE, ANONYMOUS
We will track you down
PM Lee said today (Nov 6) that the government takes cyber attacks “very seriously”.
He said that Singapore’s IT network and internet as well as communications systems are essential to business and the lives of Singaporeans. He explained how we depend on IT systems to communicate and go about our daily lives
Therefore, if someone threatens to harm Singapore’s networks, the government will “spare no effort to try and track down the culprits” said PM Lee
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Singapore govt will 'track down' hackers
In his comments, Lee said online anonymity did not mean those responsible for cyberattacks should not be held accountable. "You may think you're anonymous--we will make the extra effort to find out who you are," he said.
He added the Singapore government had taken steps to boost and safeguard its system from security risks, while noting that no IT systems could ever be fool-proof.
The government in July unveiled the country's third Cybersecurity Masterplan focusing on critical infrastructure protection and developing homegrown cybersecurity skills. In March, it set up a cybersecurity lab to help law enforcers hone their ability to counter attacks
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Pinky Loong says "We will track you down". You think Anon. hum already or not?
Mr Lee said: "It is not a laughing matter. It's not just anything goes, and you're anonymous, therefore there's no responsibility. You may think you are anonymous. We will make that extra effort to find out who you are."
Lee further said that “if we can find him, we will bring him to justice” and that “he would be dealt with severely”. It seems that he was very serious as he later repeated that they would “track down” anyone who attacks on the cyber front
Govt will spare no effort to bring cyber-attackers to justice: PM Lee - Channel NewsAsia
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Singapore to Hunt ‘Anonymous’ Hackers, Prime Minister Says
A person claiming to speak for activist hacker group Anonymous is seen issuing a warning through a video circulated online to “go to war” with the Singapore government over recent Internet licensing rules on Nov. 1
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said authorities would aggressively pursue and punish the purported hackers who recently threatened cyberattacks against the city-state’s information infrastructure, according to a local media report.
“When somebody threatens to do harm to [Singapore's information infrastructure], we take that very seriously and we will spare no effort to try and track down the culprits,” Mr. Lee told local reporters on the sidelines of a counterterrorism exercise, the Today newspaper said late Wednesday.
“If we can find him, we will bring him to justice and he will be dealt with severely,” the newspaper quoted the prime minister as saying. The comments were his first regarding threats purportedly issued last week by online hacking group Anonymous. “You may think you’re anonymous — we will make the extra effort to find out who you are.”
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Singapore Will Spare No Effort To Bring Cyber Attackers To Justice - PM Lee
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the authorities would spare no effort to bring culprits who launched cyber attacks on the country to justice, reported Channel NewsAsia.
The prime minister was addressing the issue of unconventional threats on the sidelines of Exercise Highcrest 2013 on Wednesday
The exercise is one of the largest anti-terrorism drills conducted in the country. Over 1,600 personnel from 20 agencies coordinate efforts to execute terrorism response plans. The exercise started on Oct 29 and will end on Thursday.
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Singapore vows to stop Anonymous hackers
Singapore will "spare no effort" to hunt down hackers from activist group Anonymous, who last week threatened to wage a cyber war against the government, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says.
Lee told reporters the city-state had also strengthened its defences against such attacks.
"Our IT (information technology) network, the internet, our communications have become an essential part of our business and our lives now," the Today newspaper quoted him as saying in its online edition.
Singapore PM Lee vows to bring
Anonymous hackers to justice
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong vowed to bring hackers who launch cyber-attacks to justice, saying authorities will “spare no effort” to do so.
His words were evidently directed toward the activist group Anonymous, which last week protested against new government licensing regulations for news websites with a YouTube video, threatening to launch cyber attacks against the government for trying to censor free speech on the Internet.
The Singaporean government strictly regulates the traditional media, and its new Internet rules have sparked anger in the blogging and social media community, which many see as an attempt by the government to muzzle freedom of expression there also.
Condemn Anonymous, but thank them, too
As November 5 came and went, the online community was awash with a mixture of relief, ridicule, and even disappointment at how uneventful the day was despite the promise of action by Messiah of Anonymous.
Then Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong set the Twittersphere aflame once again by promising that the government is taking the cyberattacks “very seriously” and will hunt down the hackers by all means necessary.
When STOMP, a trashy ‘citizen journalism’ website, wrote about how a Straits Times blog was hacked (both are under the same parent company), almost 50 percent of readers rated the article ‘shiok’ — a local vernacular expressing glee.
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Buggered
When he was just a minister of state, Lee Hsien Loong boasted to journalists covering his Europe tour he could tame the internet. A foreign reporter tried to educate him, and was dismissed haughtily: "We have the technicians."
This guy never learns. It seems his official website was hacked yesterday, Nov 7, 2013, at 11.17 pm and presented with a rude message: "ANONYMOUS SG WAS HERE BIATCH"
It was an inevitable response to a challenge issued earlier, "PM Lee warns hackers: We will track you down -- even if you think you're 'anonymous'". Lee had told local journalists that his government would "spare no effort" in going after Anonymous members who week threatened to wage a cyber war against the Singapore Government,
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Singapore to Hunt ‘Anonymous’ Hackers, PM Says
The comments were his first regarding threats purportedly issued last week by online hacking group Anonymous. “You may think you’re anonymous — we will make the extra effort to find out who you are.”
Self-proclaimed Anonymous members had purportedly threatened attacks against state-owned information infrastructure if the government failed to withdraw by Tuesday new tightened Internet regulations for certain news websites – seen by rights advocates as a curb on free speech but defended by officials as a way to harmonize media laws.
Singapore’s information-technology regulator said on Monday that state agencies had boosted security in response to the threats, and no major cyberattack has so far materialized against the island nation’s information infrastructure.
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We are Anonymous
– The Independent, SG: Who’s The Messiah’s Next Target?
– Leong Sze Hian: Bring hacking “threateners” to justice
– My Singapore News: Challenging the ghost rider
– Spore Hall of Shame: Anonymous network creeping into police force & civil service?
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Full coverage:
TIME:Singapore's PM Vows to Track Down Anonymous
Wall Street Journal: Singapore to Hunt 'Anonymous' Hackers, Prime Minister Says
Free District: S'pore PM Lee vows to bring Anonymous hackers to justice
Bernama: S'pore Will Spare No Effort To Bring Cyber Attackers To Justice: PM Lee
Straits Times: No effort spared to find hackers: PM Lee
Guardian Express: Anonymous Declares War on Singapore
Bangkok Post: Singapore vows to hunt down Anonymous hackers
Channel News Asia: Gov will spare no effort to bring cyber-attackers to justice: PM Lee
XinMSN: S'pore Will Spare No Effort To Bring Cyber Attackers To Justice - PM Leeread more
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