SPH Media Hit By AI-Enabled Cyberattacks, Hackers Access Subscribers’ Names, Phone Numbers And Addresses
SPH Media has suffered a series of coordinated cyberattacks, resulting in the personal information of some subscribers being accessed, including their names, phone numbers and mailing addresses.
The media publisher disclosed the incident on 10 November, saying approximately 9% of its customer database had been compromised.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the attacks, which targeted five internal systems between 4 and 8 November, may have involved artificial intelligence-enabled operations carried out by a single threat actor.
According to The Straits Times, the company has since taken steps to contain the breach and strengthen its cybersecurity defences.
What Information Was Exposed?
SPH Media said the compromised information predominantly consisted of subscribers’ email addresses, alongside some names, mailing addresses and phone numbers.
Certain employee email addresses were also accessed during the cyberattacks.
However, the company stressed that there was no evidence that financial information, payment card details, banking information, passwords or customer accounts had been compromised.
Corporate customer information was also not affected.
The company said the vulnerabilities were caused by a combination of software bugs and weaknesses in system configurations.
The first breach was detected on 4 November, with further suspicious activity identified over the following days. The latest incident was detected on 8 November.
Cybersecurity Measures Strengthened After Breach
Following the discovery, SPH Media engaged external cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incidents, contain the intrusions and secure the affected systems.
The company has since patched software vulnerabilities, updated system configurations and strengthened its network defences to prevent further unauthorised access.
It has also increased internal threat monitoring to identify suspicious activities more quickly.
The incident has been reported to several Singapore authorities, including the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
SPH Media has also lodged a police report.
A company spokesperson said it takes the security and confidentiality of customers’ personal information seriously and is working closely with the relevant authorities and cybersecurity specialists.
Subscribers Warned About Possible Phishing Scams
SPH Media has contacted affected subscribers to inform them about the incident and apologise for the breach.
Although financial details and passwords were not exposed, the company warned that the stolen contact information could potentially be used by scammers to conduct phishing attacks.
Subscribers were advised to remain vigilant when receiving unexpected emails, text messages or phone calls.
They were also reminded to:
- Avoid clicking suspicious links or opening unexpected attachments.
- Verify delivery notifications and payment requests through official channels.
- Be cautious of unsolicited communications claiming to represent SPH Media.
- Enable multi-factor authentication on their online accounts.
Affected subscribers who are unsure whether a message is genuine can contact SPH Media through its official website or call its customer service hotline at 6388 3838.
The incident highlights how cyberattacks can expose personal information even when financial details and passwords remain protected. Subscribers should remain alert for suspicious communications that may exploit the information accessed during the breach.