Rising cyber threats demand a new approach to cybersecurity

RUSSIA’S invasion of Ukraine has dominated news coverage since the first tanks rolled across the border in February 2022. What went much less publicised was the cyber conflict that preceded the invasion, with a wave of persistent cyber attacks in the months before the conflict disrupting Ukrainian critical infrastructure and, in some cases, taking them completely offline.

The Ukrainian networks had likely been infiltrated even earlier, to gather vital intelligence and prime them for disruption. This ongoing cyber conflict is but the latest in a series of episodes highlighting the growing threats emerging in cyberspace. Defending Singapore’s interests against cyber threats, whether from nation-states or other malicious actors, is increasingly vital, and yet getting ever more complex and challenging.

The number of potential avenues of attack that bad actors can exploit has grown with the rise of digitalisation in everyday life. There are expected to be over 75 billion connected devices globally by 2025, encompassing not just smartphones and computers, but also operational technology (OT) key to the functioning of industrial infrastructure including energy plants and water utilities.