Singapore launches five-year cyber security masterplan

Singapore has released its third cyber security strategy, building on earlier efforts to drive situational awareness and threat assessment. Speaking this morning, Minister for Communications and Information, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim unveiled the five-year National Cyber Security Masterplan 2018, and noted the impact of recent cyber attacks in Singapore.

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“The recent defacement of websites belonging to a Singapore health company during the haze highlights how vulnerable we are to cyber attacks. Cyber attacks also disrupt the operations of key infocomm infrastructure,” the Minister said.

He added, “It is vital for the Government, businesses and us as individuals, to be more vigilant and further strengthen the security and resilience of Singapore’s infocomm infrastructure and systems”.

The Masterplan 2018 emphasises a shift from previous strategic focus on situational awareness and risk mitigation toward a focus on raising capability and preparedness of the government and resilience of critical infocomm infrastructure (CII).

It proposes to realise this shift through a multi-pronged approach. In the public sector, this includes upgrading the existing detection and analysis capabilities at the Cyber Watch Centre and Threat Analysis Centre. The security and resilience of CII will be strengthened by assessing security of operation-critical infocomm systems and enhancing the readiness and responsiveness to cyber attacks at the national level.

Additionally, it will focus on promoting adoption of infocomm security measures among individuals and businesses. This was kickstarted with the commemoration of Singapore’s 3rd Annual Cyber Security Awareness Day, themed “Security at Home and in the Workplace”. Lastly, it will expand the country’s pool of infocomm security experts through collaborations with tertiary education institutions and industry partners.

Future efforts by Singapore’s information and technology agencies in promoting cyber security include the launch of a new mobile app by the end of 2013. The app will include features such as a password strength checker and security news and alerts.