Singapore International Cyber Week 2018 - Highlights and Testimonials

The third edition of the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW), organised by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), connected over 8,000 global cybersecurity experts, policy makers, academic leaders and industry practitioners from over 50 countries. Themed “Forging a Trusted and Open Cyberspace”, SICW 2018 saw the participation by over 60 speakers, 200 returning sponsors and 50 new exhibitors.

Key announcements at SICW 2018 include:

• The conclusion of the 3^rd ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC). The AMCC was chaired by Mr S. Iswaran, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-Charge of Cybersecurity. AMCC participants agreed to subscribe in-principle to the 11 voluntary, non-binding norms recommended in the 2015 Report of the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security (UNGGE), as well as to focus on regional capacity-building in implementing these norms.

• Establishment of a multi-disciplinary physical facility under the ASEAN Cyber Capacity Programme - the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE). The ASCCE will function as a Cyber Think-Tank and Training Centre, a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Centre and a Cyber Range Training Centre. It will be funded by a budget of SGD30 million over five years (2019-2023).

• Launch of a Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation by CSA and partner, TNB Ventures, inviting industry providers to develop innovative solutions to address specific cybersecurity challenges. The Call for Innovation was done in collaboration with five participating organisations - Ascendas-Singbridge Group, PacificLight Power, Singapore LNG Corporation, SMRT Corporation and Singapore Press Holdings.

• Launch of a Government Bug Bounty programme which will invite both international and local white-hat hackers to test selected, Internet-facing Government systems and identify vulnerabilities. The programme is part of the government’s continuous efforts to strengthen the resilience and security of our ICT systems.

• Renewal of the partnership between Singapore and France with the signing of an extended Cybersecurity Cooperation Programme. The agreement was signed by Mr David Koh, Chief Executive of CSA and Mr Guillame Poupard, Director-General of Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d’Information (ANSSI), and witnessed by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, and Mounir Mahjoubi, French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs.

• Formation of a Singapore-UN Cyber Programme by CSA and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). The Programme will develop and run an annual Norms Awareness Workshop and Cyber Policy Scenario Planning Workshop for representatives from ASEAN Member States. 

The fourth edition of SICW will be held in 2019.  

Quotes

"We are very pleased to have the support from governments, local and overseas industry experts and academia at this year’s SICW. We hope that the information exchange and discussions that were carried out and the collaborations agreed upon at SICW can bring all of us forward towards a trusted and secure environment for all."

Mr David Koh
Chief Executive, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA)

"SICW is a good example of how the Singapore government is collaborating with the industry to support the development of the Cybersecurity ecosystem and embracing the ever evolving cyber innovations."

Tammie Tham
Executive Committee Member and Cyber Security Chapter Chairman of SGTech and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Accel Systems & Technologies Pte Ltd.

"SICW presented a unique opportunity for nine of the start-ups from ICE71’s Accelerate and Scale programmes to showcase their offerings and talent in the cybersecurity space. Exposure to the public, corporates and government under one roof has been invaluable; helping them to generate new business while explaining their products and efforts they’ve put in."

Dr Lily Chan
Chief Executive Officer of NUS Enterprise

"The initiative to organise SICW is evidence of Singapore’s leadership efforts to help governments around the globe confront growing cyber threats. It is important to drive a dialogue on the issues and elevate the topic to help organisations take steps to improve their defenses. At FireEye, we find SICW helps elevate best practices and dispel misconceptions, like the idea that cybersecurity challenges can be solved with technology alone. SICW also provides an excellent platform to engage with leaders from around the region."

Eric Hoh
President for Asia Pacific of FireEye

"SICW is the premier cybersecurity event in Singapore which allowed us to showcase how our global capabilities and eco-system can reinforce and deepen our capabilities in our key Singapore hub. The event allowed us to present our state-of-the art cyber innovations to businesses and governments from Singapore and the region. This year, we showcased our Trustwave SpiderLabs Fusion Centre, which enables our global network of 10 Advanced Security Operations Centres to track, analyse, hunt and instantly eliminate the cyber threats. We are heartened that both solutions were very well received."

Bill Chang
Chief Executive Officer, Group Enterprise, at Singtel