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IT SEEMS innocuous, but among the biggest threats to cyber security is the movie you have just downloaded to watch on your office computer, or the e-mail message with the sexily named attachment you just have to open.
The movie file or attachment could contain a virus which could spark an attack on your company's IT network and cost it millions of dollars to undo.
It is something Net users have been warned about numerous times, but the message has not fully sunk in.
Now, a new effort to drive it home will be kick-started by the Government as part of a $70 million Infocomm Security Masterplan 2.
This will engage the private sector and public in fending off cyber-security threats. The first Masterplan, launched in 2005, focused on arming the public sector to deal with such threats.
As Singapore businesses get increasingly wired, the cyber threat to them is growing.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and former Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, noted this when he launched the plan yesterday.
'Given the borderless nature of the Web, we all know that cyber threats can emanate from anywhere and continue to be propagated from anywhere and seek victims all over the world.'
The plan will address the issue on several fronts: upgrading Singapore's infocomm infrastructure to guard against cyber attacks and educating IT users on the security threats posed by lax habits.
It also hopes to boost the country's expertise in IT security, so Singapore will be seen as an authority in this area, as well as promote joint security efforts with other governments.
One large part of the effort is fighting the threat from the explosion of interactivity on a new generation of websites such as YouTube or Facebook - what geeks call Web 2.0.
A new group, called the Cyber Security Awareness Alliance, will lead the charge.
Sixteen corporations have been roped in to key the effort, including eBay Singapore and Microsoft, which will share their expertise on safe Internet shopping and PC protection, for example.
Campaigns to teach users to ramp up their IT security will also be held through the print and broadcast media.
This is necessary, because employees are a weak link in a company's defences. They do not know that seemingly harmless activities - downloading a video at work, for example - can create opportunities for cyber attacks, said Mr John Ho, a partner at audit firm Ernst & Young.
Companies, he added, pay for this in the real sense of the word: They spend hundreds of millions to build firewalls and the like to keep data from leaking. But if this fails, they lose their competitive edge when rivals get hold of their information.
Exercises involving mock cyber attacks will also be carried out jointly by the Government and private sector to test security systems.
These exercises might show up weak or blind spots in the IT system that might not have been there before, said the Infocomm Development Authority.
Another initiative launched yesterday was the formation of a group called the Association of Information Security Professionals.
The first of its kind in Asia, it will bring together certified infocomm security professionals here tasked with overseeing standards and providing services to companies.
In time, it is hoped regional companies will also turn to it, making Singapore a centre of excellence for infocomm security.
Other initiatives include the National Infocomm Scholarship to develop talent in this area, and collaboration with business sectors to develop IT security solutions specific to their needs.
tanwz@sph.com.sg
YOUR 'DIGITAL SHADOW' LETS OTHERS PICK UP DATA ABOUT YOU: SINGAPORE
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