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IT Vendor Jailed for Endangering 18,000 Court Files
29 Sep
Summary
- An Indian national received a 28-week sentence for compromising over 18,000 State Courts files.
- The IT vendor granted remote access to a government laptop containing sensitive network details.
- The judge highlighted the significant risk of systemic attack and public alarm from the incident.
An Indian national, Janarthanan Tamil Kovan, 42, has been sentenced to 28 weeks imprisonment in Singapore for endangering the safety of more than 18,000 files belonging to the State Courts. Working as an IT vendor for Lenovo PCCW Solutions in June 2024, Kovan was attached to the State Courts' cloud system team.
He pleaded guilty to endangering government documents under the Official Secrets Act and illegally modifying a government-managed laptop. On August 4, 2025, Kovan used this laptop, issued by GovTech, to take an IT certification exam after his own device malfunctioned. He granted remote access to an acquaintance in India.
At the time of the connection, Kovan's laptop held 18,016 State Courts files, mostly restricted and non-sensitive, but one was classified as restricted and sensitive (high). These files included crucial login credentials and network architecture details. A police report was filed on August 14, 2025.
While the files lacked case-specific information, they could facilitate unauthorized access to sensitive systems. Kovan admitted his actions endangered the files. Prosecutors sought seven to nine months' jail, citing the trust placed in him. Defense lawyers requested three to four months, highlighting his family's financial struggles.
District Judge Lorraine Ho acknowledged the great risk of a systemic attack causing public alarm and fear due to an unknown foreign entity gaining unauthorized access to data.
