Singapore and the Netherlands ink agreement on cyber security cooperation

THE Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) of The Netherlands on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cyber security cooperation to foster a secure cyber space.

The MOU was signed by David Koh, chief executive of CSA, and Patricia Zorko, deputy director-general, deputy national coordinator of security and counter-terrorism and head of the NCSC, at the fringe of the Cyber Resilient Nation Seminar 2016.

The agreement commits both parties to regular bilateral exchanges, sharing of cyber security best practices and strategies aimed at protecting critical information infrastructures as well as access to training and workshops.

Mr Koh noted the close ties between the two countries.

He said "a successful cyber-attack on any of these critical information infrastructures could have a knock-on effect on other critical infrastructures within the region and even globally".

Said Mrs Zorko: "We must look beyond our national borders in order to achieve (global) cyber security and therefore a close international cooperation is essential. Singapore and The Netherlands are in distance far apart, yet very similar: we are both highly connected and worldwide front runners in the field of cyber security and innovation."

She said both countries are important digital mainports - the Netherlands in Europe and Singapore in South-east Asia - and the MOU paves the way for strengthening the cooperation between the two countries in the field of cyber security.

The MOU will last for an initial period of two years.