In light of the increasing cyberattacks in the city-state, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) are encouraging the public to provide feedback on the proposed Cybersecurity Bill.
To recall, Singapore recently braced Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks targeting two universities. There was also the occurrence of the global WannaCry and Petya/Petna malware attacks which has reached the city-state.
In a statement, MCI and CSA said, "Singapore takes cybersecurity threats seriously and has taken steps to address these threats."
Back in April 2015, the city-state set up the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) to oversee and coordinate all aspects of cybersecurity for the nation. Following the establishment of the agency, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched last year Singapore's Cybersecurity Strategy with the aim to create a resilient and trusted cyber environment for Singapore and our residents.
Against the backdrop of the cyber incidents proliferation globally and locally, the proposed Cybersecurity Bill is eyeing to establish a framework for overseeing and maintaining the national cybersecurity in Singapore and will empower CSA to carry out its functions.
"New cybersecurity legislation is needed so that we can take pro-active measures to protect our CIIs (critical information infrastructure), respond expediently to cyber threats and incidents and facilitate sharing of cybersecurity information across critical sectors," the two government bodies stated.
Composed of four objectives, the Bill aims to provide a framework for the regulation of CII owners. It will also bestow CSA powers to manage and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents.
The Bill also seeks to establish a framework for the sharing of cybersecurity information with and by CSA officers. It will also set the guidelines for the protection of such information. Under the Bill, CSA officers will be able to obtain and share information with relevant parties to prevent, detect, counter, or investigate any cybersecurity threat.
Additionally, the proposed legislation is aimed to introduce a lighter-touch licensing framework for the regulation of selected cybersecurity service providers
"For a start, the Bill proposes licensing the provision of penetration testing and managed security operations centre (SOC) services. The need for credible cybersecurity services will grow as cybersecurity risks become more mainstream," MSI and CSA said.
MSI and CSA will be accepting feedback from the public until August 3.
