Culture of complacency the greatest 'virus' in Singapore's battle against cyberattacks

SINGAPORE (Oct 8): Singapore has been investing heavily into cybersecurity amid its Smart Nation drive. But as details of the events leading to the cyberattack on Singapore Health Services’ patient database system in June emerge, so too do signs of a worrying trend: Has a culture of complacency seeped into the people and organisations tasked with defending the nation against cyber threats? And will these human-related weaknesses prove to be the chink in the armour that will lead to the collapse of “Fortress Singapore” — a term coined to describe the nation’s favourable position as a data centre hub due to its physical security and political stability?

“Technology is only one-third of the solution to cybersecurity,” says Justin Hammond, regional director for Asia-Pacific at Synopsys. “The others are processes and people.”

“Your overall cybersecurity defence will be only as good as your weakest point, so having the latest technology and comprehensive processes will not be effective if the human aspect of cybersecurity is lacking,” he adds.

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