SINGAPORE - As technological advancements become more integrated with people’s daily lives, malign actors are exploiting technology for their nefarious goals.
The evolving security picture reinforces the need for Singapore’s agencies to develop strong capabilities to keep the country safe, said Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on Friday.
Speaking at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies (CSIT) at the agency’s building in Science Park Road, Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said Singapore has to contend with threats in cyberspace including hackers, ransomware attacks, deepfakes and bot farms.
He added: “As generative artificial technologies like ChatGPT mature and become more widely available, we can expect more sophisticated content blurring the line between fact and fiction.”
CSIT is a technical agency within the Ministry of Defence that harnesses cutting-edge digital technologies to meet Singapore’s security needs. Mr Teo was speaking to about 90 attendees, comprising Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, CSIT staff and invited guests.
He said that CSIT will continue to be invaluable in three ways: helping to secure government networks, products and services against malicious cyber actors and criminals; deploying its advanced cyber-security expertise in cyber-incident investigations; and helping Singapore’s security agencies detect extremist propaganda and disinformation online, by using advanced analytics and machine learning.
A key imperative, he added, is to attract talent. To this end, he announced the launch of the CSIT Cyber Traineeship Programme (CCTP) on Friday.
The full-time, seven-month-long programme will help open career pathways into the cyber-security field. Those in the programme will be paid up to $3,500 monthly, and successful applicants will start in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Mr Lee Shih Yen, group director of corporate development and services at CSIT, said that trainees who successfully complete the CCTP will be offered a permanent cyber-security-related position in CSIT, where they can continue to develop their technical expertise.
Over the next three years, the programme aims to train around 100 fresh graduates or mid-career professionals with no prior experience in the industry to be cyber-security professionals.
Mr Teo said Singapore will continue to grow its pool of cyber-security experts in order to meet future demands, adding that the Government will remain committed to developing students and professionals in the technology workforce.
“The (CCTP) will help Singaporeans capture new opportunities presented by the digital economy, and contribute to our national defence and security,” he said.
“So I strongly encourage interested Singaporeans to take advantage of this chance to become a part of Singapore’s next generation cyber-security professionals.”
