MCI response to PQ on Measures to Equip Local Companies with Cyber Resilience Capability

Parliament Sitting on 9 May 2022

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

36. Miss Cheng Li Hui: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information (a) whether the Government tracks the number of local companies which experienced cyber attacks over the past two years; (b) whether companies which have experienced cyber attacks are required to report to the authorities; and (c) what are the current measures to equip local companies with the capabilities to enhance cyber resilience and to deal with cyber attacks.

Answer:

1. The Cybersecurity Act requires owners of computers or computer systems designated as Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) to report cybersecurity incidents¹ related to CII to the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA). This enables CSA to monitor and safeguard the cybersecurity of CII, which are crucial to the continuous delivery of essential services. 

2. Beyond CII, CSA encourages all companies to report cybersecurity incidents to SingCERT at www.csa.gov.sg/singcert/reporting, even if the affected systems are not designated as CII. Doing so helps to augment CSA’s awareness of the latest threats, and allows us to alert other companies to minimise the risk of them falling victim to similar cyber attacks. 
 
3. In 2021, CSA received 1,238 reports of cybersecurity incidents from businesses, and other organisations. In the preceding year, CSA received 972 such reports. 

4. CII owners are required by the Cybersecurity Act to put in place measures to meet cybersecurity standards set by CSA.  This helps to safeguard CII against cyber attacks, and ensure their cyber resilience. For non-CII enterprises, in addition to SingCERT’s advisories and alerts, CSA launched the SG Cyber Safe Programme in 2021 to encourage and help companies strengthen their cybersecurity posture. As part of this programme, CSA recently rolled out a cybersecurity certification programme for enterprises – comprising the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Trust marks – to recognise enterprises that have implemented good cybersecurity practices. They are visible indicators for companies to differentiate themselves, and demonstrate that they have adopted the necessary cybersecurity measures to protect themselves and their customers. CSA has also developed cybersecurity toolkits for companies of various profiles to guide enterprise leaders and their employees on cybersecurity best practices. 

5. I encourage all companies to apply for the Cyber Essentials and Cyber Trust marks, and take advantage of the toolkits and resources available on CSA’s SG Cyber Safe website. 

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¹ _{The specific types of cyber incidents that CII owners are required to report to CSA are prescribed as part of the Cybersecurity (Critical Information Infrastructure) Regulations 2018.}