Establishment of Operational Technology Cybersecurity Expert Panel

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) has established the OT Cybersecurity Expert Panel (OTCEP) comprising 11 local and international Operational Technology^[1]  (OT) cybersecurity experts. The inaugural meeting will be held in September 2021.

About OTCEP

The establishment of an OTCEP was first announced at the Singapore International Cyber Week 2020. Cyber threats to OT, especially Industrial Control Systems (ICS), are increasing in frequency and sophistication. It is therefore imperative to strengthen local cybersecurity capabilities and competencies in the OT sector.

The OTCEP will allow Singapore’s OT cybersecurity practitioners, operators, Industry, researchers, and policy makers from the Government, Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) sectors, academia and other OT industries to have direct access to the Internationally renowned experts. Drawing from appointed members’ respective experience in OT domains in engineering, operations and governance, these stakeholders can tap on their existing capabilities to enhance the cyber resilience of Singapore’s OT sector.

The OTCEP will discuss issues ranging from governance policies and processes, evolving OT technologies, emerging trends, capability development, supply chain, threat intelligent information sharing and incident response. They will also recommend best practices to address cybersecurity challenges and gaps in the OT sector.

They will also share insights, based on their experience in handling global cybersecurity incidents, with the incident response teams of the various stakeholders during the 1-1 closed door workshops at the meeting. Besides serving as a platform to facilitate cross-domain sharing, the OTCEP meetings will also promote networking and stimulate discussion between venture capitalists and the industry in Singapore to grow our own pool of OT cybersecurity professionals and cultivate a local OT cybersecurity community to meet increasing demands from the OT sector.

The panel augments efforts under the OT Cybersecurity Masterplan which was developed to enhance the security and resilience of Singapore’s critical sectors, improve cross-sector response to mitigate cyber threats in the OT environment and strengthen partnerships with stakeholders.

Composition of OTCEP

OTCEP members are shortlisted based on their vast OT experience. They come from both public and private sectors, locally and internationally. The members serve two-year terms. Details of members can be found in Annex A.

The OTCEP will meet annually. Key insights and recommendations from the annual meeting will help to shape initiatives under the OT Cybersecurity Masterplan such as OT Cybersecurity Code of Practice (CCoP) and OT cybersecurity training programmes.

"While OT systems were traditionally separated from the internet, increasing digitalisation has led to more IT and OT integration. Hence, it is crucial for OT systems to be better protected from cyber threats to prevent outages of critical services that could result in serious real-world consequences. To this end, we are glad to have notable OT experts join us in sharing their expertise to develop and strengthen localised capabilities in OT cybersecurity."

Mr David Koh
Commissioner of Cybersecurity and Chief Executive of CSA

Please refer to Annex A for the composition of Operational Technology Cybersecurity Expert Panel.

^[1]Operational Technology (OT) refers to technologies involving interconnected devices and computers for the monitoring and control of physical processes.

About the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore

Established in 2015, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) seeks to keep Singapore’s cyberspace safe and secure to underpin our Nation Security, power a Digital Economy and protect our Digital Way of Life. It maintains an oversight of national cybersecurity functions and works with sector leads to protect Singapore’s Critical Information Infrastructure. CSA also engages with various stakeholders to heighten cyber security awareness, build a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem supported by a robust workforce, pursue international partnerships and drive regional cybersecurity capacity building programmes. CSA is part of the Prime Minister’s Office and is managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information. For more news and information, please visit www.csa.gov.sg.