Today’s wars are already being fought on two fronts, physical and digital, and future wars will only see more focus on the cyber side of things. That’s why Singapore has established a new ministry specifically for combating cybercrime and cyberwarfare. Considering how the city-state is trying to become the world’s first “smart nation,” it makes sense that it should be concerned about the rise in cybercrime across the globe.
The latest sign of growing global concerns over cybersecurity: Singapore has established a new ministry to combat bad guys lurking in the Internet’s shadows. The wealthy city-state on Wednesday opened the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, or CSA, a new body that will focus on national cybersecurity strategies. Significant breaches “continue to make headlines around the world,” Singapore’s minister for communications and information, Yaacob Ibrahim, said in a speech last month. Ibrahim, who will head the new agency, added that such attacks “are expected to become more frequent and sophisticated.” Among recent high profile attacks worldwide were the breaches of Sony Pictures late last year and health insurer Anthem, announced in February. Last week Slack, which makes a popular office-communication tool, disclosed that hackers had accessed users’ data. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s official website was hacked into in 2013, an incident notable given Singapore’s strict laws and low crime rates.