A Telecom Cybersecurity Strategic Committee (TCSC), comprising international cybersecurity experts and representatives from the government and Singapore’s telecom operators are working on a roadmap for telecom sector cybersecurity, identifying cybersecurity threats to the telecom sector in the next five years and capabilities needed to counter these threats. The roadmap will identify areas for improvement in Singapore’s telecom cybersecurity capabilities, and recommend strategies, policies and initiatives with the objective of developing trusted, secure and resilient next-generation connectivity infrastructure, including 5G and narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) sensor networks.. The first set of recommendations are expected to be published later this year.
Government representatives on the TCSC include the heads of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Cyber Security Agency, and DSO (national defense research agency of Singapore), while the expert panel consists of a former head of the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the CEOs of Team 8 from Israel and US-based IronNet Cybersecurity.
This was announced at the inaugural Infocomm Media Cybersecurity Conference. IMDA also announced two additional initiatives to fortify Singapore’s infocomm sector.
The first is the launch of the electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) implementation guide which will provide guidance to the industry on the management of security concerns in their deployment of eKYC solutions. The eKYC guide aims to make it more convenient for consumers to register for mobile services online in a trusted manner by enabling operators to digitally verify mobile services registrations securely without physical face-to-face transactions. The second is the launch of a public consultation on a cybersecurity guide for Internet of Things (IoT) systems, which seeks to promote best industry practices in mitigating cybersecurity risks for organizations looking to deploy such systems.
(Sources: Infocomm Media Development Authority, Singapore; Business Times)
