The first-ever UN-Singapore Cyber Fellowship Program, jointly established by NUS, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore through its ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE), and the United Nations Office for Disarmament (UNODA), has graduated over 20 senior cybersecurity leaders from 18 United Nations member nations.
Professor Yaacob Ibrahim, Professor in Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and former Minister-in-Charge of Cybersecurity, and Ang Leong Boon, Head of IT Security, NUS Information Technology, co-created the inaugural fellowship programme.
“The programme was a testament to cybersecurity being a team sport, one that requires the close collaboration of global cybersecurity agencies as represented by their respective delegates, to defend against a common threat,” says Ang.
High-level national cybersecurity authorities were gathered for the exclusive capacity-building programme to develop interdisciplinary knowledge in efficiently managing cyber and digital security policymaking, strategies, and operations.
The fellowship provides a forum for fostering relationships and networking among international cybersecurity experts in addition to cultivating a deeper understanding of the topic. Content preparation included input from NUS academics, business experts, and UN and Singapore government agency representatives.
The programme included lectures, campfire discussions, site visits, and tabletop exercises to address a variety of themes, including cyber and digital security governance, cyber ecosystem development, and cybercrime. The programme also employs a multidisciplinary approach to the cybersecurity dilemma that is pertinent to operational teams in charge of cybersecurity as well as policymakers.
The fellows’ interaction with eminent speakers was instructive. The fellowship also emphasised the value of public-private partnerships (PPP) in cybersecurity and the necessity of PPP in fostering a robust digital environment. It is more crucial than ever for leaders to be knowledgeable about international law as it relates to cybersecurity in this new volatile, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world.
The risks of international cyber conflicts, as well as the difficulties of applying international law and putting in place standards of responsible behaviour by states in cyberspace, were discussed by the speakers. They also discussed best practices in crime detection and cross-border cooperation with law enforcement agencies on technical, legal, and diplomatic issues.
Fellows also had the chance to participate in a special conversation on cybersecurity diplomacy with His Excellency Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York.
To put what they had learned over the previous five days into practice, fellows engaged in a cybersecurity tabletop exercise. They were instructed to spot any strange activity within the organisation, find the malware to communicate information with the appropriate stakeholders, and ultimately, practise crisis communications in a simulation of a cyberattack on a vital infrastructure facility.
This exercise was carefully planned to make sure that Fellows had the necessary knowledge and abilities to deal with cybersecurity concerns in the future. The Fellowship gave cybersecurity regulators, academics, professionals and Fellows a great opportunity to connect and exchange experiences.
Meanwhile, the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CCEB), a new academic division that intends to become the leading example of excellence in multidisciplinary education and research, was formally introduced by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).
To solve issues of food security, safety, and sustainability, the school of CCEB will act as a launchpad for new research fields that combine science and technology, such as food science and technology. CCEB is starting a competition focused on creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to promote deep intellectual thinking and innovation even more.
The new Budding Innovators Technathon (BIT), organised in partnership with NTUitive, NTU’s innovation and business organisation, pushes participants to create solutions for a sustainable and inclusive society.
