It was just last week that Singapore was graced by a visit from Indian Prime Minister Modi. The leader of India made a great impact during his visit to Singapore, by signing 10 Memorandums of Understanding which ranged from defence cooperation to urban planning and civil aviation.
One key agreement stemming from these meetings was the Memorandum of Understanding established between the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology of India.
The MOU was signed by Mr David Koh, Chief Executive of the CSA, Singapore, and Mr Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, India. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India bore witness to the signing.
The two organisations signed the MOU, to last for an introductory period of two years, initiating a formal collaboration on cyber security management between the Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCERT) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
On why this MOU is crucial, Mr. David Koh, Chief Executive of the CSA stated, “Singapore and India have a strong partnership on cyber security matters. This MOU is another step forward as it brings together our Computer Emergency Response Teams to advance our ability to prevent as well as respond to new threats and vulnerabilities. We are glad to work alongside CERT-In to build a safe and secure cyber space.”
The MOU focuses on five key areas, including: the establishment of a formal framework for professional dialogue, cross-organisation cooperation for operational readiness and response, collaboration on cyber security technology and smart technology research, exchange of best practices, and professional exchange of human resource development.
This MOU follows the trend for greater local and international collaboration to fight the growing threat landscape. Through greater cohesiveness and cooperation, these two nations hope to put up a stronger defence against cyber attackers.
