Singapore sets up body to prevent cyber-attacks

Singapore sets up body to prevent cyber-attacks

Singapore today announced the creation of a special agency to protect the city-state from cyber-attack. “It will be the specialist authority to deal with threats to national security, especially external threats such as cyber-terrorism and cyber-espionage,” Law Minister K Shanmugam said. Singapore Infocomm Technology Security Authority (SITSA) will begin operating tomorrow, Shanmugam told a computer security conference.

Singapore, one of Asia’s most affluent and wired cities, says it is a prime target for militant groups and has undertaken several measures to beef up its defences since the September 2001 attacks in the United States. Mr Shanmugam, who is also second minister for home affairs, said recent cases of online attacks in South Korea and the United States, where government and private websites were hit, showed the need to remain vigilant.

“It may not be possible to prevent the unknown-unknown’, that is, the emergence of new attacks,” he said. “However, we can be vigilant and prepared, and more importantly, work together as a team, to be able to respond more effectively to such attacks and mitigate the impact.”