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Singapore Blames U.S. Citizen for Leak of Around 14,200 HIV-Positive Patient Records

posted by janrinok on Tuesday January 29 2019, @02:31PM   
from the security-versus-convenience dept.

takyon writes:

U.S. Man Blamed for Singapore Data Leak on 14,200 HIV+ Patients

Records of as many as 14,200 people with HIV and their 2,400 contacts have been "illegally disclosed online", Singapore's health ministry said in a statement, marking the second cyberattack the city-state has suffered in a year.

The HIV-registry data was leaked by a U.S. citizen, Mikhy K. Farrera Brochez, who was deported from Singapore after serving jail time for fraud and drug-related offenses, the ministry said. The leaked information included names, test results and contact details of 5,400 Singaporean citizens and 8,800 foreigners.

The latest data spill comes less than a year after a cyberattack on SingHealth that had exposed the medical data of about 1.5 million people, including outpatient details of the Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. This breach is especially problematic since it compromises the identity of those living with HIV in a region which there's still a lot of social stigma around the condition.

Also at BBC and NBC.

Related: Health Insurer Aetna Accidentally Exposes Customers' HIV Statuses With Transparent Envelope Windows
Grindr Shared Users' HIV Status With Third Parties

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Original Submission

• huh huh (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 29 2019, @06:12PM (2 children)

  by khallow (3766) on Tuesday January 29 2019, @06:12PM (#793652) Journal

  Interesting that they'll accuse this person on such flimsy evidence.

  Background
  
  6 The confidential information is in the illegal possession of one Mikhy K Farrera Brochez, a male US citizen who was residing in Singapore, on an employment pass, between January 2008 and June 2016. Brochez was remanded in Prison in June 2016. He was convicted of numerous fraud and drug-related offences in March 2017, and sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment. The fraud offences were in relation to Brochez lying about his HIV status to the Ministry of Manpower, in order to obtain and maintain his employment pass, furnishing false information to Police officers during a criminal investigation, and using forged degree certificates in job applications. Upon completing his sentence, Brochez was deported from Singapore. He currently remains outside Singapore.
  
  7 Brochez was a partner of Ler Teck Siang, a male Singaporean doctor. As the Head of MOH’s National Public Health Unit (NPHU) from March 2012 to May 2013, Ler had authority to access information in the HIV Registry as required for his work. Ler resigned in January 2014. He was charged in Court in June 2016 for offences under the Penal Code and the Official Secrets Act (OSA). In September 2018, Ler was convicted of abetting Brochez to commit cheating, and also of providing false information to the Police and MOH. He was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. Ler has appealed, and his appeal is scheduled to be heard in March 2019. In addition, Ler has been charged under the OSA for failing to take reasonable care of confidential information regarding HIV-positive patients. Ler’s charge under the OSA is pending before the Courts.
  
  8 In May 2016, MOH had lodged a Police report after receiving information that Brochez was in possession of confidential information that appeared to be from the HIV Registry. Their properties were searched, and all relevant material found were seized and secured by the Police.
  
  9 In May 2018, after Brochez had been deported from Singapore, MOH received information that Brochez still had part of the records he had in 2016. The information did not appear to have been disclosed in any public manner. MOH lodged a police report, and contacted the affected individuals to notify them.
  
  10 On 22 January 2019, MOH was notified that more information from the HIV Registry could still be in the illegal possession of Brochez. On this occasion, he had disclosed the information online.
  
  11 Brochez is currently under Police investigation for various offences, and the authorities are seeking assistance from their foreign counterparts.
  
  12 This incident is believed to have arisen from the mishandling of information by Ler, who is suspected of not having complied with the policies and guidelines on the handling of confidential information. MOH takes a grave view of such matters, and will not hesitate to take stern action against staff and other individuals who abuse their authority and access to confidential information, or fail to handle such information in a proper manner.

  Note how they state the alleged criminal acts of Brochez as fact "The confidential information is in the illegal possession" and the alleged criminal acts of Ler as supposition "This incident is believed to have arisen from". If Brochez committed the acts he is supposed to have committed (almost all of which was allegedly known at the time), then how come he only served a 14 month sentence before getting kicked out of the country?

• Re:huh Re:huh (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @06:29PM (1 child)

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @06:29PM (#793660)

  Note how they state the alleged criminal acts of Brochez as fact...

  Yeah, it sounds just like the democrats Russiagate bullshit. The courts still have nothing but allegations from dirty rats looking for a "Get out of Jail" card.

  Parent

  • Re:huh (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @09:20PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @09:20PM (#793752)

    Your brain is gonna implode with all this 17D chess yer playin

    Parent