Singapore, Jan 22 – Singapore has stepped up vigilance to safeguard its cyber security infrastructure.
In response to the possible threat to the Government’s infocomm infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister, Teo Chee Hean said government agencies have stepped up their vigilance and enhanced the security of their systems.
In a written reply to questions in the Parliament, Teo, who is Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs said: “The Government takes a serious view of all threats to Singapore’s cyber security.
He said, a trusted, secure and resilient information and communications (or infocomm) infrastructure is critical to Singapore’s national security and economic interests.
He said the daily lives and well-being of Singaporeans will also be adversely affected if access to essential services is denied.
“The Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority (SITSA) under MHA, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) work closely together to monitor and assess the state of our cyber security, and strengthen it where necessary,” he said.
The deputy prime minister also said regular security scans and system patching are carried out on critical government information infrastructure to detect and eliminate system vulnerabilities.
Teo noted that in November 2013, Singapore Police, with the help of their Malaysian counterparts, arrested a male Singaporean, James Raj Ariokiasamy, believed to be the man behind a Youtube video which threatened the Singapore’s national security.
“The subject is currently facing charges under the Computer Misuse and Cyber Security Act (CMCA) and Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA),” he said.
Following the November incidents, many Singaporeans have also voiced their disapproval and rejection of this form of criminal and anti-social behaviour.
Teo said Police have also arrested and charged four other Singaporeans under the CMCA in connection with the unauthorised modification of the servers hosting the Istana and Prime Minister’s Office websites.
– Bernama
