Prevention cheaper than cure - especially in cybersecurity

AT the turn of this millennium, the biggest cybersecurity threats were easily minimised as information technology (IT) had an iron grip on user access to applications and data. Today's landscape has a starker contrast. The recent WannaCry ransomware attack impacted governments and large organisations, globally affecting British healthcare systems, French carmakers and Russian banks, among others.

In recent months, Singapore has been a victim of several security breaches, including WannaCry which affected digital screens and directories of shopping malls such as Tiong Bahru Plaza and White Sands.The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University becam…