Singapore to bolster cybersecurity strategy ahead of digital push

SINGAPORE'S approach to cybersecurity will go beyond protecting the nation's critical information infrastructure, as pervasive connectivity opens up new and wider areas of attack, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said at the opening ceremony of Singapore International Cyber Week 2021.

These fresh vulnerabilities are further compounded by geopolitical tensions that heighten risks as the city-state becomes increasingly digital and online breaches rise.

"(The government) will work to secure our wider cyberspace given the increasingly wide-spread and interconnected use of digital technology in all domains. This needs to be underpinned by building organisational capability and talent development," said Mr Teo.

Recent high-profile supply chain attacks like the SolarWinds incident and Kaseya breach have exploited vulnerabilities in high trust components to compromise targets, said Mr Teo, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security.

It is thus now more urgent for Singapore to invest in capabilities to strengthen its digital systems.

"Connecting more people, bringing in new services, and rolling them out fast bring added risks. They open up a wider attack surface, and raise the likelihood, impact and cost of a breach," added Mr Teo. "Strategies to enhance security, on the other hand, are inherently aimed at reducing risk. The two seem mutually exclusive."

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To tackle this, the government will aim to build resilient infrastructure. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), for instance, will be working closely with industry stakeholders to strengthen the cybersecurity of operational technology systems. These include industrial control systems and building management systems, where cyber-attacks could pose physical and/or economic risks.

CSA said it will launch a framework that companies can leverage to manage operational technology cybersecurity within their organisations.

The government will also roll out several initiatives to make it easier for people in Singapore to secure their devices, use secure applications and strengthen data protection. The Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme for consumer IoT devices launched in 2020 has seen good take-up among local and multinational device manufacturers, Mr Teo noted.

Singapore has pledged to "contribute to rules, norms, principles and standards development, and promote consensus in the digital domain," said Mr Teo.

As cyberspace transcends physical boundaries and jurisdictions, countries also need to collaborate closely to "align policy approaches to deal with and police cross-border cyber threats". Singapore worked closely with Interpol, other law enforcement agencies and private sector partners in Operation Goldfish Alpha in 2019. The Asean-wide operation reduced the number of devices infected with malicious script to mine cryptocurrency by almost 80 per cent in six months. Singapore also took part in an Interpol-led operation across 28 countries targeting illegal football gambling during the Euro 2020 tournament, resulting in nearly 1,400 arrests across Asia and Europe.

And earlier this year, Operation HAECHI-I targeted five types of cyber-enabled financial crimes - voice phishing, love scams, investment fraud, sextortion and money laundering associated with illegal online gambling. More than 1,600 bank accounts linked to these crimes were frozen and a total of US$83 million intercepted. Over 585 individuals were arrested and investigated, and more than 890 cases solved.

Countries must further invest in developing capabilities to keep up with technology, Mr Teo said. Implementation and execution of policy might not be successful if Singapore lacks the talent and people. The government will support youth, women and mid-career professionals in pursuing a cybersecurity career through facilitating access to cybersecurity bootcamps, mentorship opportunities and professional conversion programmes.

It will also invest heavily to upskill practising professionals so that they can keep pace with the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.