Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) 2021

Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) 2021

Mr Teo Chee Hean, Singapore’s Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 6th Singapore International Cyber Week today. Mr Teo highlighted the need for countries to build consensus and collaborate with each other, as well as develop capabilities to collectively enable a secure cyberspace.

Mr Teo also announced the launch of the Singapore Cybersecurity Strategy 2021, which outlines Singapore’s plans to take a more proactive stance to address cyber threats, raise the overall level of cybersecurity across the nation, and advance international norms and standards on cybersecurity.

The SICW Fireside Chat – the signature kick-off event for #SICW2021 – featured Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity, Mr Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud, and Mr Anand Swaminathan, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company, who discussed the complex inter-relation between cyber and digital issues in the COVID-19 era.

Moderated by Ms Haslinda Amin, Chief International Correspondent for Southeast Asia, Bloomberg, the Fireside Chat also examined strategies to advance cyber stability and resilience, as well as the potential of public-private partnerships.

Mr Tan Kiat How, Minister of State for Communications and Information, announced the launch of the SG Cyber Safe Partnership Programme and SG Cyber Safe cybersecurity toolkits for enterprise leaders/SME owners and employees today.

These new initiatives will help local businesses and enterprises to raise their cybersecurity awareness, equip them with relevant tools and resources to take action in raising their enterprise cybersecurity posture, and encourage cybersecurity adoption. Mr Tan also presented plaques to representatives from 19 pioneer SG Cyber Safe partner companies which will work with CSA to amplify cybersecurity outreach efforts to SMEs and the community.

Mr Jeff Moss, Founder of Black Hat and DEF CON, Commissioner of Global Council on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC), spoke at the SICW Conversations (Technology). Hosted by Mr Gaurav Keerthi, CSA’s Deputy Chief Executive (Development), the session saw the exchange of views on how the public and private sectors can work together to combat the spread of ransomware and prevent the growth of the ransomware industry.

Both discussed measures such as upstream technological intervention or implementing new regulations that would steer cryptocurrency exchanges towards greater transparency. Ransomware is a global issue, and not just a problem that the industry or even a nation state can solve alone. It requires global solutions, with collaboration among international partners, as key to overcoming the ransomware threat.

Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health, delivered the opening keynote address at the International IoT Security Roundtable event today. In his address, Dr Janil noted that IoT devices have become an integral part of our daily lives as work and social interactions are increasingly taking place online, and that it is necessary to keep pushing limits to enhance the resilience and security of our IoT ecosystem.

Dr Janil has also announced several initiatives to improve IoT security, allow Singaporeans to better reap the benefits of IoT devices, and better secure Singapore’s cyberspace.

Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity, announced the official opening of the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE) facility. The ASCCE will coordinate regional efforts to deliver capacity building programmes for ASEAN senior officials through a 4M approach: multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder, modular and measurable.

CSA Chief Executive Mr David Koh moderated the Ministerial Roundtable Opening Session at the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) this evening where Ministers, Cybersecurity Coordinators, Heads of Cybersecurity Agencies, and top industry players discussed a multi-stakeholder approach to cybersecurity in a post-COVID-19 new normal. The session also highlighted the importance of considering geopolitical tensions and the evolving cyber threat landscape, and the need for multi-stakeholder cooperation to advance cyber stability during these unprecedented times.

As part of the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) International IoT Security Roundtable held on 6 October, Singapore has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Finland to mutually recognise the cybersecurity labels issued by both countries for consumer IoT devices.

This MOU aims to reduce duplicated testing across different countries and improve the ease of doing business for manufacturers. The MOU was signed by Mr David Koh, Chief Executive of CSA and Mr Sauli Pahlman, Deputy Director-General of the Transport and Communications Agency of Finland (Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto Traficom).

This MOU is the first of such mutual recognition, and CSA will continue to engage other like-minded partners to facilitate more of such recognitions.

The Ministerial Roundtable Closing Session saw Ministers, Cybersecurity Coordinators/Heads of Cybersecurity Agencies, and top industry players come together to discuss how we can navigate the opportunities and risks presented by living in the new normal of the COVID-19 era.

Panellists from various countries such as Singapore, Estonia, Japan and UK at the session also focused on how cybersecurity leaders in the government and industry can take advantage of the evolved digital landscape to promote innovation and digital collaboration while promoting a secure and safer cyberspace.