MOSCOW, January 27 (Sputnik) – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s office announced Tuesday, Singapore’s government will set up a new agency to protect domestic cybersecurity following a series of high-profile hacking incidents worldwide, reports AFP.
Recent cyberattacks around the world and a string of attacks on Singapore government portals have led the government to take such measures.
New agency with focus on national cyber security http://t.co/8LdYNV9rhg
— Singapore Government (@govsingapore) 27 января 2015
In neighboring Malaysia on Monday, the website of Malaysia Airlines was taken over by hackers who claimed to be apart of the “Lizard Squad”, a group known for previous denial-of-service attacks.
Malaysia Airlines lost two flights last year. Flight MH370 disappeared last March with 239 passengers and crew on board and Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 passengers and crew, reports Reuters.
Meanwhile in Singapore, the new agency will work tightly with the private sector, it will be involved in “strategy and policy development, cybersecurity operations, industry development and outreach,” according to the government statement.
Singaporean Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim will be put in charge of cybersecurity. He said the government was collaborating with local universities to increase the number of homegrown cybersecurity experts.
