Speech by Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Permanent Secretary (Defence), at Cyber Defenders Discovery Camp Awards Ceremony 2016

Distinguished guests,

School Representatives,

Participants of the Cyber Defenders Discovery Camp 2016,

Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good afternoon to all of you.

I am delighted to be here. Looks like you had fun at the camp; I wish I was down there as well. I hope you had fun. This is the fourth edition of the camp and I am pleased to learn that it has attracted a record number of participants. 400 students from 25 schools, an increase of 20% from last year and a four-fold increase from the first camp we had four years ago. It reflects a growing interest in cyber defence, which has become an increasingly important pillar of Singapore's overall security.

Cyberspace and cybersecurity will be integral to our lives

In this age of connectivity and rapidly expanding cyberspace, I think all of us recognise that there is no clear delineation between our lives in the virtual and the real world. The Internet is a place that we go to read, watch videos, play games, shop and, of course, connect through social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Cyberspace for many of you has become an integral part of your lives.

The Internet has also evolved. It now has the ability to link data from our mobile phones, from televisions and homes, in a phenomenon known as the Internet of Things or IOT for short. IOT allows us to tap on intelligent and connected devices to enhance the quality of our lives and introduce smarter products and services.

In fact, IOT will be a key enabler of Singapore's Smart Nation vision and we will see the transformation of Singapore into a smart city. We want to use networks of sensors; we want to use smart devices and technologies, to help make our daily lives more convenient, more sustainable. The harnessing of technology and data is meant to improve and will improve services, create business opportunities and enrich the way we live, at work and play. But this increased connectivity will also come with new challenges, as we need to secure our networks and information from fast-growing cyber threats.

I am glad to learn that a new module on the compromise of IOT devices has been introduced to the camp this year and I think it is a reflection of the efforts to ensure that participants learn and take away the latest developments and techniques in the field of cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity in defence

I think many of the guys down here, in a couple of years' time, you will be enlisted and you will join the SAF. Just as in the civilian world, modern militaries depend on advanced technology, the SAF is no exception. In fact we rely a lot on modern technology and securing the military cyberspace is critical. Some years ago, some of you may have read about this in the news; an unencrypted video broadcast of the US Predator drone was intercepted by insurgents in Iraq. It was reported that the insurgents used off-the-shelf software that cost just $30 to intercept the live video feeds from the drones. They accessed information and managed to disrupt, in fact I think in that case, brought down the American military drone that cost hundreds of millions of dollars. This demonstrates that cyber criminals can find simple ways to counteract sophisticated technology and that is why we must always come up with new measures and innovative cyber defence technologies to harden our systems.

Increasingly, we also see cyberattacks becoming a key feature in what we call hybrid warfare. The aggressor can launch an orchestrated campaign to weaken and fracture the solidarity of a target nation. With increased network connectivity, cyberspace gives an adversary the opportunity to use cyber as an additional, what we call non-kinetic, that means non-fiscal, means in hybrid war. Just last April, again some of you would have read in the news; unidentified hackers attacked France’s TV5Monde television channel, they shut down transmissions and they placed jihadist propaganda messages on the station’s website and on the Facebook and Twitter accounts of the station. You can imagine the kind of chaos and the kind of confusion it would cause, if our critical infrastructure and systems were to fall into the wrong hands, and spoof messages, spoof transmissions were sent out.

The SAF recognises the threat of cyberattacks to its networks and systems and this was one of the key reasons why we established the Cyber Defence Operations Hub in 2013 to step up our cyber defence capabilities. In the recent budget debates, Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen also announced that in enhancing cyber defence, the SAF will employ more artificial intelligence and big data analytics to detect and respond to cyber threats. We will also build greater security into software design and network infrastructure to make them more resilient and resistant to cyberattacks.

At DSTA and DSO, we have cyber engineers and we have researchers working on advanced cyber defence solutions for the Ministry of Defence and the SAF. They work hard to secure our networks, to respond to cyberattacks and to safeguard our classified information and systems. They also leverage on artificial intelligence and big data to detect cyber threats, design security in our software and shore up defences. I hope the camp has allowed you to gain some insights into the interesting work of cyber security.

Cultivating Singapore's cybersecurity workforce

The demand for cybersecurity expertise will continue to increase. Programmes and initiatives are set up to attract more talents for the cybersecurity workforce. NUS and SIT are starting undergraduate degree programmes in Information Security. There are cyber specialisation courses and modules in NTU and SMU. SUTD, where we are now, has plans for a Masters degree in cybersecurity in future. It is encouraging to see many opportunities available to students who wish to pursue their interest in cybersecurity.

This camp, the Cyber Defenders Discovery Camp inaugurated in 2012, has the aim to reach out to young talents and enthusiasts in this field. Hopefully, the camp has provided first-hand insights into what cybersecurity entails and given you the unique opportunity to have intensive hands-on lab work right from the first day, followed by a competition, where participants pit their skills against each other. I hope all of you have learned some new skills and knowledge, and had fun in the process.

I would like to conclude my talk by congratulating all participants who have completed the Cyber Defenders Discovery Camp and the winning teams. It is a job well done! I hope that the camp has sparked your interest in cybersecurity and I hope it has fuelled your passion for this rising field. I hope that the experience you have gained has helped to debunk the misconceptions that engineering work, IT and cyber, are mundane. I look forward to seeing some of you as Singapore's cyber engineers and cyber warriors in the near future.

Thank you.