China state-linked group accused of hacking SingTel, Bloomberg News reports

(Reuters) - A China state-sponsored hacking group had breached Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) in June as a part of a global campaign targeting telecom companies and critical infrastructure operators, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

 

Investigators believe that the breach was carried out by a hacking group nicknamed Volt Typhoon, Bloomberg said, citing two people familiar with the matter.

 

"There was a malware detected in June, which was subsequently dealt with and reported to relevant authorities. There was no data exfiltrated and no impact to services," a SingTel spokesperson told Reuters by email.

 

However, the spokesperson added they could not ascertain if that was the same event the Bloomberg report referred to, saying, "We do not comment on speculation."

 

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said he was not aware of the specifics of the incident.

 

"China firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms," Pengyu said.

 

Volt Typhoon has infiltrated critical U.S. infrastructure sectors, including telecoms and energy, although China has said its cybersecurity agencies had published evidence to show the group was staged by an international ransomware organization.

 

Bloomberg reported SingTel’s breach is believed to have been a test by China for future cyberattacks on U.S. telecom firms.

 

Information gleaned from the incident has offered insights into the growing range of suspected Chinese cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure overseas, the report said, citing the sources.

 

 (Reporting by Roshan Thomas and Echha Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza)