Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency (CSA) is establishing the Internet Hygiene Portal (IHP). The IHP provides organisations with simple access to resources and self-assessment tools so they may embrace internet security best practices in their digitalisation journey. The IHP publishes an Internet Cleanliness Rating table to show the cyber hygiene of digital platforms. This will assist consumers to protect their digital transactions from cyber dangers.
Cyber dangers like ransomware and phishing will remain a problem as Singapore’s digital economy grows. Many organisations, especially SMEs, lack internet security best practices to protect their domains, websites, and email servers. This puts customers’ data and transaction details in danger.
IHP is one of CSA’s SG Cyber Safe Programme cybersecurity toolkits. It supports enterprises through a three-pronged approach: increase Awareness by providing guides on internet hygiene standards and best practices, facilitate Assessment via self-initiated ‘health check’ tools for email, website, and internet connectivity, and promote Adoption of internet security best practices.
CSA will regularly publish an Internet Hygiene Rating table. CSA features 10 e-commerce companies to start. The internet hygiene ranking is based on the average implementation of CSA-curated, globally recognised online security best practices.
These include important internet security protocols such as HTTPS, which secures website communications between parties, DNSSEC, which prevents DNS spoofing, hijacking, and cache poisoning, and DMARC, which improves email security by preventing email spoofing. The integrity and reliability of these infrastructures were critical for citizens and businesses to conduct secure transactions with one another and with other government agencies.
Meanwhile, the CSA cooperated with the Ministry of Health (MoH), Health Sciences Authority (HSA), and Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) to develop the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme for Medical Devices [CLS (MD)].
Increasingly, medical devices are now connected to the hospital and home networks, intranets, and the internet. Even though these connected medical devices benefit patients and healthcare providers, especially in real-time monitoring of health status, rising connectivity could increase cybersecurity risks and compromise patients’ personal information, clinical data, and treatment protocols, ultimately affecting patient health outcomes.
By the CLS (MD), medical devices are graded based on their cybersecurity provisions. This will encourage manufacturers to embrace a security-by-design strategy to create more secure medical device products. This would also allow customers and healthcare practitioners to make educated judgments regarding the usage of medical devices since they will be able to identify items based on their cybersecurity provisions.
The CLS (MD) was created in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed) and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation – Medical Technology Industry Group (SMF – MTIG), as well as representatives from both MNCs and SMEs.
The CLS (MD) will apply to medical devices [as specified in the First Schedule of the Singapore Health Product Act (Cap122D, 208 Rev Ed)] that process health data or are capable of interfacing with other devices, systems, and services.
Established in 2015, the CSA aims to maintain the safety and security of Singapore’s cyberspace to support the nation’s security, power a digital economy, and safeguard our digital way of life. It oversees national cybersecurity functions and collaborates with sector leaders to safeguard Singapore’s Critical Information Infrastructure.
CSA also collaborates with many stakeholders to increase cybersecurity awareness, develop a healthy cybersecurity ecosystem supported by a strong workforce, promote international alliances, and drive regional cybersecurity capacity-building programmes.
