The MOE said that through an investigation into Mobile Guardian, it found that there had been a “global cyber security incident” related to unauthorized access to its platform, which affected users, including users in Singapore.

An initial check showed that the devices of about 13,000 students from 26 secondary schools in Singapore were remotely wiped by the hacker.

The ministry added that there is currently no evidence that the hacker has accessed the user’s files.

“As a precautionary measure, MOE will remove the Mobile Guardian device management application from all iPads and Chromebooks,” MOE said.

“Efforts are underway to safely restore these devices to normal use. MOE is considering other mitigation measures to control the use of learning support devices during this period.”

The MOE noted that Sunday’s incident was not related to the earlier technical problems students faced in late July due to human error in setting up Mobile Guardian.

“We understand that students are naturally concerned and worried about this incident,” the MOE said.

“MOE is working with schools to support affected students, including deploying additional IT roving teams in schools and providing additional learning resources.”

The incident follows one. Ditto in Aprilwhen the personal information of parents and staff of 127 schools was accessed by Mobile Guardian in a data security breach.