Singaporean Gov't Convenes Task Force to Fight Ransomware Threats

An inter-agency task force has been created by the Singaporean government to fight against ransomware, which has become a concern for businesses in the city-state.

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), in a press release yesterday, stated it has assembled the Counter Ransomware Task Force (CRTF) comprising government representatives from the fields of technology, cybersecurity, financial regulation, and law enforcement.

Ransomware and other cybercrimes continue to be a threat to the Singaporean public. In a report back in August, the CSA reported 137 cases of ransomware in 2021, a 54% increase from the 89 cases in 2020. These ransomware attacks targeted small and medium enterprises mainly in manufacturing and information technology.

As pe the CSA, ransomware must be dealt with as a "cross-domain challenge,” and identified it as a “cross-border problem.”

“Ransomware criminals are often based overseas and leverage jurisdictional boundaries to move illicit assets and evade legal consequences,” the CSA said.

It added that the CRTF will be working on the city-state's "international engagement strategy" to fight ransomware and lobby for international cybersecurity cooperation.

The CRTF is headed by CSA Chief Executive David Koh and is joined by CSA representatives, Government Technology Agency, Infocomm Media Development Authority, the Ministry of Communications and Information, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Home Affairs, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore Armed Forces, and the Singapore Police Force.

It can be remembered that one of the biggest cyberattacks in 2021 also involved ransomware. Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest pipeline systems in the United States, was forced to shut down its pipes following the attack, which lead to fuel shortages in the southeastern states.