MCI seeks cyber overhaul as 2,000 firms face incidents

Six out of 10 businesses and non-profits lack cybersecurity knowledge and experience.

The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) is advocating for a significant overhaul of current cybersecurity measures. This is in response to a number of cyber incidents impacting over 2,000 organisations across 23 industry and non-profit sectors in the past year, according to a survey by the Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore (CSA).

Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information, in her address at the ISTARI Charter Asia-Pacific Cyber Congress, highlighted that the survey found that a significant majority of organisations encountered at least one cyber incident in the year preceding the survey, underscoring the pervasive nature of cyber threats. 

Notably, incidents such as ransomware attacks and social engineering attempts at phishing were reported as common occurrences among respondents.

Minister Teo divulged that while organisations demonstrated reasonable adoption rates of essential cybersecurity measures across various categories, partial adoption was deemed insufficient by the CSA. 

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She stressed the importance of comprehensive implementation, highlighting that organizations must adopt the full spectrum of essential measures to effectively mitigate cyber risks.

Furthermore, Minister Teo expressed concern over the substantial gap in cybersecurity knowledge and experience among businesses and non-profits, with almost 60% reporting a lack thereof. 

Despite this, she found reassurance in the fact that 75% of surveyed organizations acknowledged the importance of cybersecurity and sought assistance when needed.

Minister Teo reiterated the government's commitment to supporting organizations in enhancing their cybersecurity posture. 

She unveiled initiatives such as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)-as-a-service scheme, aimed at providing tailored cybersecurity health plans to organisations in need, and emphasised the crucial role of industry collaboration in bolstering cybersecurity efforts.