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New Advisory on the Risk of Shortened URLs

Singapore Advisory on Risk of Shortened URLs

Cyber Security Agency (CSA) and GovTech Singapore have together announced a joint advisory on the risks of shortened URLs.

This advisory published on 10 Jan explained that the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) shortening is a method used to generate a shorter hyperlink which is an easier process for directing users to the required webpage.

However, scammers have been using this method to disguise phishing or malware-infected websites. As a result, it has become harder to determine the legitimacy of the shortened link and users who are unaware of this may be easily tricked into clicking on these links.

In efforts for preventing such scams from taking place, The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) has launched an official URL shortening service – https://go.gov.sg. This domain will be reflected in the shortened URLs, such as in the following: https://go.gov.sg/singpass-guides.

Users can identify this domain and be able to recognise it as a legitimate web link of a government agency.

It was pointed out that web users have to be careful as to not click on suspicious looking links that could redirect users to illegitimate websites which may allow attackers to carry out malicious acts, such as installing malware, disrupting a device’s operation and gathering of personal information.

The following protective measures were listed to be taken note of:

  • Users should be wary of shortened URLs such as: bit.ly and tinyurl.
  • It is important to look out for the “gov.sg” domain in the URL and “go.gov.sg” domain in the shortened URLs for confirming if the site is legitimate
  • Only URLs which explicitly display the website domain should be clicked on. An alternative will be to directly look up on search engines on the organisation’s website to determine if the site they have visited is legitimate
  • Users should take note of misspelling and/or substitution of letters in the URLs of the websites they are browsing
  • Sites which come with a valid encryption certificate will have the green lock indicated on the browser’s address bar. Users should look out for this logo before indicating any sensitive information such as personal particulars or account login details

Singapore’s government websites have been victims of malware incidents over the past two years. In a recent OpenGov article, we looked at the responses by the Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, on the questions posed in Parliament on Malware Incidents which occurred in October and December 2019, in Singapore.

The questions focused on the data leak which occurred at ST Logistics and the ransomware attack on HMI Institute of Health Sciences to confidential operations of MINDEF and SAF.

He was asked about the personal data leak affecting 2,400 MINDEF and SAF personnel. When did ST Logistics first discover the phishing attack and when did MINDEF come to know about the leak? And what was the follow-up action plan in place following the two incidents?

The minister shared that on 10 October 2019, MINDEF had found out that emails received from ST Logistics contained malware and they had alerted their management. ST Logistics took the first precautionary move as to block outgoing data and emails which could possibly affected by the malware.

The other incident saw HMI Institute detecting a malware infection in one of its backup servers on 4 December 2019. With the help of a cybersecurity firm, HMI investigated the infection and ascertained the individuals from MINDEF/SAF and other organisations whose personal data were on the affected backup server.

Dr Ng said that the government is looking to further strengthening oversight of its vendors. The Ministry will also be taking reference from the recommendations of the Public Sector Data Security Review Committee (PSDSRC) so that they will implement a framework to ensure that vendors protect Ministry of Defence data well.

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Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

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SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

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IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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