What Singapore’s new cybersecurity bill will do

Singapore will next year table a new cyber security bill, Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim said today.

“Broadly speaking, the bill will ensure that operators take proactive steps to secure our critical information infrastructure, and report incidents,” he said.

“It will also empower the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) to manage cyber incidents and raise the standards of cybersecurity providers in Singapore.” Security of infrastructure will become critical as more ordinary objects are fitted with sensors and connected.

"It is inevitable that Singapore’s critical information infrastructure will at some point be targets. The interconnectivity in our networks also means that the effects of cyber attacks can be contagious," Minister Yaacob added.

The Cyber Security Agency will prioritize infrastructure in government, energy, water, transport, health, Infocomm, media, security, and emergency, banking, and finance.

The current Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act gives law enforcement agencies powers to investigate cyber crimes and arrest criminals. But as attacks have become more sophisticated and faster, government regulations must keep up.

Image by Christiaan Colen, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0