CDSA

This week we circumvent the globe to see how different countries address growing concerns around cyber security.

Singapore’s Smart Nation technology initiative and e-government services were thrown into question, as the Singaporean government announced that it will block all civil servants from accessing the Internet on work computers beginning May 2017, with the aim to tighten information security. This has created concerns about access and government engagement.

Meanwhile, the Australian government declared a war on cybercriminals, announcing a $230m commitment to build a national cybersecurity defence. The Australian government will work with international law-enforcement, intelligence agencies and computer emergency response teams (CERTs) to “build cyber capacity to prevent and shut down safe havens for cyber criminals.”

Finally, cybercriminals increasingly use social engineering tactics to gain access to data. Even with continued warnings to be careful about sharing personal information over the phone or via email. What is it about human behaviour that allows tactics such as phishing to work?

Here’s our spotlight for this week…

This tech hub wants to keep government employees off the internet

A new Singaporean government policy which will block all civil servants from accessing the Internet on work computers, will affect an estimated 143,000 public officers in Singapore, working in 16-plus government ministries and more than 50 statutory boards. According to local media reports, public servants will still be allowed to forward work emails to their private email accounts and access the Internet on their own personal electronic devices as long as the devices do not have access to the government email systems. Verizon’s Francis Yip discusses the importance of continuous training of civil servants on best practices and developing a comprehensive cybersecurity policy, rather than effectively turning away from the problem. (CNBC Asia) 

The next world war will be cyber – and it has already begun

Due to Australian organizations across the public and private sectors enduring cyberattacks resulting in the loss of vast amounts of sensitive commercial and personal information or incurring major damage to their business and reputation, the Australian Government has declared a war on cybercriminals. The Australian government recently announced a $230m commitment to build Australia’s national cybersecurity defence. (CSO Australia)

Reeling in Workers: Social engineering

Cybercriminals are continuing to exploit human nature as they rely on familiar attack patterns, such as phishing, to access data. This article looks at why social engineering is a successful tactic used by cybercriminals and also focuses on some of the headline-making victims of the past year. Education and training is the best defense! (SC Magazine).