ASEAN Using cyber diplomacy as a weapon

Singapore eyes alliances with other countries to combat digital crime threat

Singapore: What more can Singapore do in a digital world where dependence on technology trades security for greater efficiency and connectivity?

With more countries using technology as a component of military response, the first thing to do is to treat the threat as seriously as a conventional one.

To this end, Singapore has been deploying “cyber diplomacy” – building alliances with other countries, both to swap expertise, such as the latest in attack methods, and to regularly exercise and test its defences.

Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA) has signed bilateral cyber agreements with five countries – France, Britain, India, the Netherlands and the United States.

The agreement with the United States, signed in August, is the first cyber agreement between an Asean nation and the United States.

This opens the door to regular exchanges on cyber issues and effectively gives Singapore a voice when the larger countries try to shape global cyber norms, according to experts.

“While Singapore benefits from accessing knowledge about cyber threats and mitigation responses from the United States, Washington will equally gain deeper insights into the cyber threats experienced by Singapore and potentially the SouthEast Asian region,” said US Army LieutenantColonel Harry Hung, a visiting fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

This and other recent efforts by the government demonstrate a cyber security approach that looks to leverage on the island’s reputation as a global hub and a valued intermediary.

During the Oct 10 launch of Singapore’s cyber security strategy – a comprehensive document that maps the country’s longterm approach to the issue – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the government is sparing no effort to build a sizeable workforce of industry professionals here.

The four prongs of the strategy involve strengthening cyber defence of the country’s critical infrastructure, developing a vibrant cyber security ecosystem by educating businesses and individuals, creating jobs by developing cyber security talent and building international partnerships to better respond to cyber threats.

This means the republic wants to work closely with Asean countries to jointly secure the region’s Internet space – an ambitious undertaking, given the uneven level of development across the 10 member states.

At the first official gathering of Asean ministers in charge of cyber security, held a day after the launch of Singapore’s strategy document, Minister in Charge of Cyber Security Yaacob Ibrahim launched a S$10mil (RM30mil) fund to help fellow Asean countries build their cyber threat response capabilities. — The Straits Times/Asia News Network