The doctor at the centre of the HIV data leak in Singapore could face further disciplinary action after his medical registration was suspended for nine months, the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) announced on Tuesday (Mar 12).
Ler Teck Siang was found guilty in September last year for helping his partner Mikhy Farrera Brochez deceive the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) about Brochez's HIV-positive status, and for giving false information to the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the police.
The suspension, which came into effect on Mar 7, was ordered by an Interim Orders Committee (IOC), said the SMC.
related: Doctor at heart of HIV data leak claims he lied to police to 'retaliate' against MOH 'discrimination'
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UNAUTHORISED POSSESSION AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION FROM HIV REGISTRY
Following an alert by the Police, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has ascertained that confidential information regarding 14,200 individuals diagnosed with HIV up to January 2013, and 2,400 of their contacts, is in the possession of an unauthorised person. The information has been illegally disclosed online. We have worked with the relevant parties to disable access to the information.
We are sorry for the anxiety and distress caused by this incident. Our priority is the wellbeing of the affected individuals. Since 26 January, we have been progressively contacting the individuals to notify them and render assistance.
On 22 January, MOH was notified by the Police that confidential information from MOH’s HIV Registry[1] may have been disclosed by an unauthorised person. MOH made a Police report on 23 January. On 24 January, MOH ascertained that the information matched the HIV Registry’s records up to January 2013.From 24 to 25 January, MOH worked with the relevant parties to disable access to the information.
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The HIV-positive status of thousands of people was leaked from a Singaporean database this month
A man pins an HIV awareness ribbon to his shirt
The HIV-positive status of 14,200 people, as well as their identification numbers and contact details, has been leaked online, authorities in Singapore said Monday. Records leaked include 5,400 Singaporeans diagnosed as HIV-positive before January 2013, and 8,800 foreigners diagnosed before December 2011, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement.
Patient names, identification numbers, phone numbers, addresses, HIV test results and medical information was included in the information leaked by a former Singaporean resident.
"We are sorry for the anxiety and distress caused by this incident," the statement said. "Our priority is the well being of the affected individuals. Since 26 January, we have been progressively contacting the individuals to notify them and render assistance."
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Tangled web of love and lies led to HIV data leak affecting many
2 men who met online and fell in love end up stripping thousands of their right to privacy
Ler Teck Siang (above) & Mikhy Farrera Brochez got married in New York City on April 24, 2014. They then returned to Singapore and in May that year, Brochez lied to a police inspector that it was his own blood that had been tested
It was a love story that progressed through a series of lies to the authorities.
When the lies were uncovered, and they were separated, one of them decided to make others pay for it - by revealing online the identities and details of 14,200 people who had HIV, like him.
related: Who are the pair at the centre of HIV data leak?
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Singapore's HIV data leak: 5 burning questions to ask MOH and others
Two days after Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) publicly announced that there had been a massive leak of confidential data from its HIV Registry some two-and-a-half years earlier and worse, that the data had appeared online, burning questions still remain over the scandal.
To briefly recap the background of the case: In 2016, MOH got to know that American fraudster Mikhy Farrera Brochez had data from the HIV Registry. He was convicted of numerous crimes in early 2017 and was sentenced to 28 months’ jail. He was deported in April last year after serving his sentence. Brochez, 34, was a partner of Ler Teck Siang, 36, who headed MOH’s National Public Health Unit from March 2012 to May 2013 with access to the HIV Registry.
Ler was sentenced to two years’ jail last year for abetting Brochez to commit cheating, and also of providing false information to the police and the health ministry. He is appealing against conviction and sentence, while the prosecution is appealing for a higher sentence.
related: MOH has plenty of explaining to do
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HIV data leak - What is your excuse now, MOH?
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong. PHOTO: Screengrab from Gov.sg YouTube channel
Another day, another data breach at the Ministry of Health (MOH). Barely three weeks after it accepted a Committee of Inquiry’s (COI) recommendations for improving cybersecurity, MOH revealed another staggering leak: that the personal details of 14,200 HIV-positive patients have been disclosed online by an American conman.
This marks three major incidents under Health Minister Gan Kim Yong’s watch: the Hepatitis C outbreak at Singapore General Hospital (2015), the massive SingHealth cyberattack that compromised the personal details of 1.5m patients (2018) and now this. In what has become a familiar ritual, Gan’s textbook apology on Tuesday (28 January) rang hollow, now that the genie has been let out of the bottle.
Following the release of the COI report on 9 January, an MOH spokesman had said, “Patient wellbeing is our top priority. This includes safeguarding the confidentiality of patient data…we are committed to safeguarding patient data.”
related:
HIV-positive status of 14,200 people leaked online by American fraudster
1.5M patients' data, including PM Lee Hsien Loong's, stolen in major cyberattack
COI: success of attacker 'not inevitable' highlights staff lapses & system vulnerabilities
22 patients diagnosed with Hepatitis C virus, four died
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Singaporeans blast MOH for “covering up” HIV registry leak for years
Outraged Singaporeans have blasted the Ministry of Health (MOH) for keeping silent about the leak of confidential information from the HIV registry for years, until the information was disclosed online by a foreigner.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed that confidential information regarding 14,200 individuals diagnosed with HIV was leaked and is now in the possession of a foreigner named Mikhy K Farrera Brochez.
In May 2016, MOH was alerted that Brochez illegally possessed confidential information from the HIV Registry. After MOH lodged a police report, Brochez’ properties were searched and “all relevant material found were seized and secured by the Police.”
related:
‘Gan Kim Yong is the ‘most incompetent Health Minister in Singapore’s history’
Confidential information regarding 14,200 individuals diagnosed with HIV leaked
Foreigner who has confidential details of 14,200 HIV+ individuals fooled the authorities for nearly a decade using fake credentials
FOREIGNER POSING AS CHILD PRODIGY FOOLED MOM AND TEMASEK POLY USING FAKE QUALIFICATIONS FOR EIGHT YEARS
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Former NCMP Gerald Giam questions why MOH took two years to notify affected individuals of the HIV data theft
In the latest HIV data leak fiasco, former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Gerald Liam questioned why the Ministry of Health (MOH) took more than two years to notify the affected individuals of the data theft. Mr Giam wrote this on his Facebook page on Tuesday (29 January) saying that the “alleged theft and leak of highly sensitive medical information from MOH’s HIV Registry is most disturbing and sickening”.
On Monday (28 January), MOH revealed that the HIV-positive status of 14,200 people – along with confidential information such as their identification numbers and contact details – has been leaked online by an "unauthorised person".
The records were those of 5,400 Singaporeans diagnosed with HIV from 1985 to January 2013 and 8,800 foreigners, including work and visit pass applicants and holders, diagnosed with HIV from 1985 to December 2011. MOH has revealed that about 1,900 names in the leaked data were of people who had already died.
related:
MOH knew about HIV registry leak 2.5 years ago but only informs public now
Publicly naming SingHealth cyber-attackers an unhelpful act, counterproductive to security and Singapore’s foreign policy: Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan
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Another ex-Straits Times heavyweight asks why MOH did not do more when it discovered “utterly cruel” HIV data leak years ago
On Tuesday, MOH revealed that the confidential details – like names, HIV status, other medical information, NRIC numbers, contact numbers, and addresses – of 14,200 HIV positive individuals and 2,400 people these individuals were in contact with, were leaked.
The confidential records are now in the illegal possession of a foreigner, named Mikhy K Farrera Brochez, who has been deported out of Singapore after being convicted of numerous fraud and drug-related offences. The foreigner gained access to the HIV Registry data through his boyfriend, a local medical doctor.
Earlier, another ex-Straits Times heavyweight, Bertha Henson, criticised MOH over how it handled the HIV data leak. Asserting that MOH’s handling of the HIV registry data theft seemed like it was meant to “cover up” the leak.
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Man who leaked details of 14,200 HIV-infected people from MOH registry
Mikhy K Farrera Brochez was a 13-year-old Princeton graduate, a child prodigy, the youngest registered child psychologist in the history of the American Psychological Association. At least that’s what he claimed to be. He, of course, didn’t accomplish any of these things.
Here are some of the things he did do though. As mentioned above, he claimed to have graduated from Princeton. Other places of educational meccas he claimed to have been from included The Sorbonne, and the Vanderbilt University. None of that was true, with the police finding plenty of falsified certificates when they raided his place.
He also lied about his mother for some reason. Brochez claimed his mother was “a renowned professor of child and adolescent psychology, child neurology and gifted science and mathematics education in the UK”. However, when The Independent reached out to the individual Brochez identified as his mother, they were met with a very confused psychologist, who denied being Brochez’ mother. He did lecture at two polytechnics though, and had started a private practice as a child psychologist. He also claimed to be fluent in eight languages, including Hebrew, Spanish and English.
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Ex-Poly Lecturer Behind HIV Data Leak Got Info From Former Lover Working At MOH
Ex-Poly Lecturer Lied About HIV Status & Academic Qualifications
The Ministry of Health (MOH) found confidential information of 14,200 HIV-positive individuals online on 22 Jan 2019.
MOH confirmed on Monday (28 Jan) that police are investigating American Mikhy Farrera-Brochez for allegedly causing the leak. Farrera-Brochez had previously served jail time for fraud and drug-related offences.
Farrera-Brochez had been living with his lover Mr Ler Teck Siang in Singapore since 2008. Ler was then a doctor at a clinic in Commonwealth.
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MOH Hid HIV Patients’ Data Breach from the Public for Two Years: Where’s the Accountability?
The Ministry of Health makes the Ministry of Defence look good when it comes to public accountability – and that’s quite a statement! A data breach concerning patients’ confidential information was leaked to a 3rd-party in 2016, and it took them over 2 years to inform the affected patients about it. And, only because that 3rd party leaked the information online last week.
Picture this – a thief entered your home without your knowledge and took things, including your NRIC. The thief is still there. MOH knows there’s a thief there. MOH doesn’t tell you. For 2 years. After the thief has left the building with your stuff and committed a crime using your NRIC, MOH tells you and says sorry. Then you realise that MOH knew all along but kept its mouth shut.
I’m talking about the data leak of HIV patients’ personal details online – which stemmed from a data breach the Health Ministry was aware of as far back as 2016. How’s that for public accountability?
related:
Records of 14,200 HIV Patients Illegally Obtained in 2016 Leaked Online
Hepatitis C Infection Timeline Reveals SGH’s Shocking Lack of Regard for Patients Lives
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Singapore health system hit by ‘most serious breach of personal data’ in cyberattack; PM Lee's data targeted
The "most serious breach of personal data” in Singapore’s history took place last month, with 1.5 million SingHealth patients’ records accessed & copied while 160,000 of those had their outpatient dispensed medicines’ records taken, according to the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Communications and Information.
Among those affected was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, with the attackers “specifically and repeatedly targeting” his personal particulars and information of his outpatient dispensed medicines, the ministries said in a joint release on Friday (Jul 20). Several other ministers were also affected, including Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
The personal data taken from the 1.5 million patients include their names, NRIC numbers, address, gender, race and date of birth, the release said, adding that the hackers did not amend or delete the records.
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SingHealth system hit by 'massive' cyberattack
Cyberattackers who repeatedly targeted data on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s outpatient medication will be disappointed for the information is “nothing alarming”, Mr Lee said in a Facebook post shortly after the Government announced on Friday (Jul 20) that Singapore had been hit with its most serious cyberattack yet.
“I don’t know what the attackers were hoping to find. Perhaps they were hunting for some dark state secret, or at least something to embarrass me. If so, they would have been disappointed. My medication data is not something I would ordinarily tell people about, but there is nothing alarming in it,” Mr Lee wrote on Facebook.
Sophisticated cyberattackers broke into public healthcare cluster SingHealth's IT systems to steal the medical data of 1.5 million patients including Mr Lee, & the unusual activity was detected by the Health Ministry’s IT arm on Jul 4.
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Singapore is a top hacking nation
Forget about being a Smart nation or a startup country The city-state has made into the podium as one of the top ten attacking countries, based on data from (Threatmap). The website tracks malicious cyber-attacks across the globe and consistently ranked the top aggressors in cyber-attacks. One glance on the list of top ten attacking countries, one will find the great powers of the world pitting each other for glory and honors in the cyberspace.
However, a nation or rather a city-state stood out from the rest of big countries with likes of USA, Russia, UK, Germany and China. Surprise, surprise … the city-state is none other than Singapore. According to Threatmap, the island-nation is placed on the fourth position among the top attacking countries. Singapore has held the same position rather consistently over the past two weeks, which saw almost an average cyber-attacks of 14 million cases over the world daily.
The first place in the hit-list among the Singaporean hackers is reserved for USA and the city-state is likely to inflict its target with tons of malwares. By computation, Singapore’s favorite weapons of choice belongs to access to malicious resources at 61.7%, followed by bot communication at 30.3%, then malicious file transfer at 0.9% and others malwares at 7.1%. Meanwhile, the “numero uno” or first-place among the top attacking countries is conferred to Russia which infects other machines and global networks mostly with bot communications. Ironically, Russia is also placed consistently as the number one target by hackers all over the world.
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Spate of MOH's slip-ups
MOH: IT error causes about 7,700 S'poreans to receive wrong CHAS subsidies
HIV status of 14,200 people leaked online
SingHealth system hit by 'massive' cyberattack
