Personal info of 70,000 people compromised in data breach involving SLA’s vendor IBM SINGAPORE – The personal details of around 70,000 people in Singapore, including NRIC numbers and addresses, have been compromised following a data breach involving the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) vendor, IBM. In a statement on July 3, SLA said it was informed about the data security incident by IBM, which it had appointed to support and maintain the Singapore Titles Automated Registration System (STARS) and eLodgment System (ELS). IBM also managed the development and systems-integration testing environment for STARS and ELS. Preliminary investigations found that there was unauthorised access to a data set created for vendor development and testing, SLA said. The data set, which was created in 1998 and updated periodically over the years, was intended to contain only mock and anonymised testing data based on property ownership and lodgment records, SLA said. However, the authority said it has since uncovered that the data set also contained the names, NRIC numbers, and then property addresses of about 70,000 individuals. “This information should have been anonymised but was not. Investigations are ongoing to determine how this occurred,” it added. As a precautionary measure, SLA has identified the individuals whose information was contained in the affected data set. It has also started notifying them and advising them on how they can seek further information and assistance. SLA said the affected environment managed by IBM is distinct and separate from its operational systems. The live systems used to operate STARS, ELS or any other SLA systems have not been compromised, it added. Property ownership and lodgment records in STARS and ELS also remain secure and unaffected. IBM has revoked access associated with the affected development and testing environment to prevent any other unauthorised access. “SLA is working closely with