Singapore to bolster OT security capabilities

Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA) is shoring up the country’s capabilities in securing operational technology (OT) systems used in critical information infrastructure (CII) sectors through two new partnerships with private and public sector organisations.

In a three-year arrangement with Dragos, the CSA would engage the OT security specialist to share threat intelligence and expertise in threat detection and hunting, as well as conduct architecture reviews and cyber risk assessments of OT systems in CII sectors.

Dragos will also contribute to Singapore’s national and sectoral OT security incident response framework by augmenting CSA and CII sector leads’ efforts to deal with sophisticated OT cyber attacks requiring niche or deep capabilities.

David Koh, commissioner of cyber security and chief executive of CSA, noted that OT systems are being connected to the internet to improve productivity or efficiency, but that also means a successful cyber attack can disrupt delivery of critical services, or lead to serious real-world consequences.

“CSA has established this partnership with Dragos to build up Singapore’s technological capabilities in incident response and threat detection for OT systems. This partnership will also enable our local ecosystem to strengthen its capabilities in OT cyber security,” he said.

Robert Lee, CEO and co-founder of Dragos, said Singapore, as a world leader in cyber security, is not only helping infrastructure owners and operators protect their systems, but also sending a signal to other countries about the immediate need to secure operational technology.

“Through the years Dragos has valued the opportunity to advise the Singapore government on cyber security best practices. Now through our partnership with CSA, we look forward to further supporting Singapore’s cyber defence and resilience through OT cyber security expertise, services, and technology for increasingly connected industrial systems,” he added.

Separately, the CSA Academy, which conducts advanced cyber security training for government and those in CII sectors, is organising the inaugural Singapore-Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity 301 (SG-ICS301) course this week alongside the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Expert Panel (OTCEP) Forum 2023.

Developed with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the course, modelled after CISA’s ICS301 course, will equip participants with concepts, theories and practical hands-on experience for protecting OT networks and securing OT systems from cyber attacks.