[h=2]Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said authorities will spare no effort to bring culprits who launch cyber-attacks on the country to justice.[/h]
Illustration: Anonymous hackers, who have used the Guy Fawkes mask as a symbol of their group. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said authorities will spare no effort to bring culprits who launch cyber-attacks on the country to justice.
He was addressing the issue of unconventional threats on the sidelines of Exercise Highcrest 2013 on Wednesday.
The exercise was one of the largest anti-terrorism drills conducted in the country. Over 1,600 personnel from 20 agencies coordinated efforts to execute terrorism response plans. The exercise started on October 29, and will end on Thursday.
It also marked the successful testing of the National Maritime Security System -- which scans for and deals with sea-borne threats.
Observing the drill, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that threats can come from anywhere, and he said authorities will diligently track down culprits, even if attacks come from cyberspace, such as hackers who think they can hide behind the internet's veil of anonymity.
Mr Lee said: "It is not a laughing matter. It's not just anything goes, and you're anonymous, therefore there's no responsibility. You may think you are anonymous. We will make that extra effort to find out who you are."
Mr Lee acknowledged that no cyber security precautions are perfect -- but what is important is to harden systems to lessen vulnerability, and that is what Singapore's doing.
His comments come after a video threatening to hit out at the Singapore government was earlier posted on YouTube.
On social resilience, Mr Lee said Singaporeans must be aware that unconventional threats to the country are very real, so everyone has to know their roles if attacks were to occur.
He added that inter-agency cooperation must be sustained to effectively deal with threats.
"We have a big organisation -- the Singapore government is large and complicated. And it's not easy to keep a large and complicated entity focused, spry and sharp indefinitely. And that's what we must do," said Mr Lee.
Drills like Exercise Highcrest aim to sharpen the responses of various agencies through the use of realistic scenarios.
Rear-admiral Jackson Chia, co-director of Exercise Highcrest 2013, said: "We are able to inter-operate as a team. So moving forward, I think (we will) try to further improve on some of the processes."
Agencies involved in the drill include the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force.
- CNA/ac
SINGAPORE: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said authorities will spare no effort to bring culprits who launch cyber-attacks on the country to justice.
He was addressing the issue of unconventional threats on the sidelines of Exercise Highcrest 2013 on Wednesday.
The exercise was one of the largest anti-terrorism drills conducted in the country. Over 1,600 personnel from 20 agencies coordinated efforts to execute terrorism response plans. The exercise started on October 29, and will end on Thursday.
It also marked the successful testing of the National Maritime Security System -- which scans for and deals with sea-borne threats.
Observing the drill, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that threats can come from anywhere, and he said authorities will diligently track down culprits, even if attacks come from cyberspace, such as hackers who think they can hide behind the internet's veil of anonymity.
Mr Lee said: "It is not a laughing matter. It's not just anything goes, and you're anonymous, therefore there's no responsibility. You may think you are anonymous. We will make that extra effort to find out who you are."
Mr Lee acknowledged that no cyber security precautions are perfect -- but what is important is to harden systems to lessen vulnerability, and that is what Singapore's doing.
His comments come after a video threatening to hit out at the Singapore government was earlier posted on YouTube.
On social resilience, Mr Lee said Singaporeans must be aware that unconventional threats to the country are very real, so everyone has to know their roles if attacks were to occur.
He added that inter-agency cooperation must be sustained to effectively deal with threats.
"We have a big organisation -- the Singapore government is large and complicated. And it's not easy to keep a large and complicated entity focused, spry and sharp indefinitely. And that's what we must do," said Mr Lee.
Drills like Exercise Highcrest aim to sharpen the responses of various agencies through the use of realistic scenarios.
Rear-admiral Jackson Chia, co-director of Exercise Highcrest 2013, said: "We are able to inter-operate as a team. So moving forward, I think (we will) try to further improve on some of the processes."
Agencies involved in the drill include the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force.
- CNA/ac
