Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide defence framework: Shanmugam

He urges organisations to accept that there are and will be breaches, and be ready to defend

- Sarah Koh

Mandating that operators of critical systems, such as those that manage energy, water and transportation services, report suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide the necessary framework for Singapore to defend itself, said Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam on Aug 1.

Declining to name the country behind a recent advanced persistent threat (APT) attack on Singapore, he urged organisations to have the mentality that there are and will be breaches.

"Accept that, and be prepared to defend," he said, speaking on the sidelines of a biennial cyber-security exercise called Exercise Cyber Star, organised by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).

"Tell us immediately the moment you suspect (something). We work with you to try and deal with it," he added.

Mr Shanmugam's comments came after the authorities revealed in July that Singapore's critical information infrastructure (CII) came under attack from UNC3886, a state-linked APT actor.

UNC3886 is one of several APT actors that target Singapore's CII. Their activities rose more than fourfold from 2021 to 2024.

In the light of increased threats, Singapore amended its Cybersecurity Act in 2024 to require that CII operators declare any cyber-security outage, and any attack on their premises or along their supply chain.