By Prashanth Parameswaran
On 27 January, Singapore announced that it would establish a central agency under the Prime Minister’s Office to coordinate national cyber security efforts.
The chief aim of the Cyber Security Agency (CSA), which will begin operating in April, will be to consolidate and coordinate the Singapore government’s cyber security capabilities across sectors. The idea is to enhance cooperation between the government and businesses as well as among critical industries including communications, banking, water and security. To streamline things and avoid overlap, the CSA will take over some of the functions of previous coordinating bodies and will also liaise with the defense ministry.
The CSA is just the latest move Singapore has taken over the years to boost cyber security. By 2013, the Infocomm Development Authority – the country’s information technology regulator – was already unveiling its third five-year cyber security road map focused on safeguarding critical infrastructure and training cyber security professionals (the first road map was launched in 2005). That same year, Singapore also created a centralized cyber defense operations hub for its armed services and passed legislation to empower the government to respond to cyber threats. The city-state has also encouraged collaboration with other companies and organizations, with Boeing and Interpol both setting up cyber crime centers there last year.
Read the full story at The Diplomat