Singapore plans to deepen government and tech industry partnership to boost cyber resilience

K Shanmugam, Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, Singapore.

Image Credit: The Prime Minister’s Office

Early information-sharing and joint incident response from tech players can help the country counter cyber threats more effectively.

With countries increasingly dependent on major technology firms, their tools, systems and capabilities, Singapore is advocating for early information-sharing, joint incident response and trusted government industry partnerships to counter cyber threats.

“When something happens, we need full transparency immediately. Governments need to know in real time exactly what has happened, and companies must notify us early and exchange intelligence. These tech giants have expressed an attitude of cooperation,” said K Shanmugam, Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, speaking at Singapore International Cyber Week earlier this month.

Singapore’s telecommunications infrastructure has since come under attack from cyberespionage group UNC3886. All four of the country’s major telcos, Singtel, StarHub, M1 and Simba Telecom, were targeted. Cyber attackers gained unauthorised access to parts of the telcos’ networks using advanced malware. Fortunately, no sensitive data was accessed, and critical systems such as the country’s 5G core or telecommunications services were not disrupted. The intrusion, however, could have escalated into a serious national-security risk if it had been allowed to spread further.

The incident has heightened concerns over sophisticated state-sponsored cyber threats. Amid this backdrop, Singapore is also working with ASEAN partners to strengthen the region’s defences against such attacks.

Singapore will commit an additional S$30 million over five years to strengthen regional cybersecurity capacity building through the ASEAN Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE). The funding will support programmes in cyber incident response, critical infrastructure protection, artificial intelligence (AI)-related cybersecurity risks and cyber diplomacy, while deepening cooperation across ASEAN.

“ASEAN has its own framework for addressing cyber issues, but it remains a work in progress. We are all still catching up on the implications of AI. While individual countries have introduced separate regulations, ASEAN collectively still has more work to do,” Shanmugam added. 

Building on past foundations while sharpening Singapore’s response to new and emerging challenges, the country has further refined its cybersecurity strategy in 2026. The focus is on outlining a whole-of-nation approach to strengthen cyber resilience.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in his foreword to SCS 2026, said, “In an interconnected digital world, what each of us does affects the security of others. By working together, we can keep Singapore’s cyberspace secure, trusted and resilient, and continue harnessing technology with confidence to improve lives and create new opportunities for our people.”

The new strategy prioritises the protection of critical infrastructure, security across the broader digital ecosystem, preparedness for emerging risks from AI and quantum technologies, stronger international partnerships, enhanced cybersecurity capabilities, and the development of a future-ready cyber workforce.

The potential misuse of cutting-edge AI tools has raised fears that advanced cyber threats could become more powerful, scalable and destructive. As AI lowers the protective barriers to attack, Singapore is seeking to strengthen partnerships and improve collective cyber resilience.

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