Cybersecurity: A National Imperative

As the world becomes increasingly dependent on digital technologies, the threats to our online security are growing more sophisticated and menacing. In response, the government has launched a comprehensive strategy to safeguard our national cybersecurity over the next five years.

A Collective Challenge

The challenge is clear: we must evolve, reinforce, and respond to emerging cyber threats to reduce the ability of malicious actors to attack us and address the root causes of vulnerabilities. Our collective effort will require a strategic approach that underpins all individual and organizational actions in the digital domain.

National Response

To mitigate multiple threats and safeguard our interests in cyberspace, we need a strategic approach that sets out clear principles and duties for all stakeholders.

Principles

The government’s policy will be driven by the need to protect our people and enhance our prosperity. We will treat all forms of cyber-attack with seriousness and defend ourselves at all costs. Our policies will adhere to national and international laws, and we will preserve and promote core values such as democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and citizens’ privacy.

Duties

Securing the national cyberspace requires a collective effort from individuals, private sectors, organizations, and government agencies. Each has an important part to play in safeguarding our online security.

Personal Responsibility

• As citizens and non-citizens, we must take practical steps to secure our assets in the virtual world, just as we do in the physical world.
• This means fulfilling our personal responsibility to take all reasonable steps to safeguard not only our hardware but also the data, software, and systems that provide us with freedom, flexibility, and convenience.

Private Sector Responsibility

• Businesses, public and private sector organizations, and other institutions must take all reasonable steps to protect their personal data and build resilience.
• They must understand that if they are the victim of a cyber-attack, they are liable for the consequences.

Government Responsibility

• The government’s primary duty is to defend the country from attacks by other states, protect citizens and the economy from harm, and set the domestic and international framework to protect our interests, safeguard fundamental rights, and bring criminals to justice.
• The government takes stringent measures to provide safeguards for its information assets and advises and informs citizens and organizations on how to protect themselves online.

Driving Change

This strategy seeks to derive outcomes and increase capacity in both the public and private sector by looking to the market to drive the right behaviors. Commercial pressures and government incentives will drive adequate business investment to enhance appropriate cyber security standards, stimulate a flow of investment into our industry, and encourage an adequate pull of skills to the sector.

Ambitious Programme

The government is committed to bringing about significant improvements in our national cybersecurity over the next five years through three broad areas:

1. Expanded intelligence and law enforcement focus on threats
2. Development and deployment of technology in partnership with industry
3. Cyber Incident Response, led by the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT-SL)

Together, we can ensure that our defenses are evolved, reinforced, and responsive enough to counter emerging cyber threats and protect our interests in cyberspace.