Pitch
Growing increasingly connected as we begin to embrace the Internet of Things, we might be more vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Description
Make life easier/more difficult for Singapore?
More difficult
Describe the change
Cyber warfare is by no means new. It already began long ago with the creation of Stuxnet, a malicious program designed to infiltrate computers controlling nuclear materials.
As we move towards a smart nation, more devices and systems would become connected to the internet. Some possible examples might be cameras to monitor human/vehicular traffic, servers for telecommuting or perhaps even automated taxis. All these would definitely help to make our lives easier.
However, it comes with a risk as well. By increasing our connectivity, we are also increasing our risk of our systems being hacked into and used against us by possible enemies.
Cameras could be used to spy and gather geographical information, servers could be hacked in order to gain access to classified material or automated systems could be rigged to malfunction and cause accidents.
Hence, before we fully embrace the notion of being a smart nation, we must be well prepared for the challenges it brings as well.
How will this change impact Smart Nation Singapore in 2030?
On an individual scale, it has been found that Singaporeans are under prepared in their security practiceshttp://www.computerworld.com.sg/resource/security/singaporeans-overconfident-but-underprepared-in-their-security-practices
If we look at the nation as a whole, Singapore would have to beef up it's cybersecurity in preparation for the smart nation initiative. Measures have already been taken in anticipation for this, such as the National Cyber Security Masterplan( NCSM).
A simple way to secure the country would be to simply host everything on isolated systems. However, that would defeat the purpose of a smart nation as there is very little inter-communication. With the NCSM, the IDA is moving in the right direction as it aims to make our systems more robust and resilient to attacks.
However, citizens also need to play their part by keeping healthy security practices. Our security is only as strong as its weakest link.
Thus, we need everyone's support to ensure a secure cyberspace.
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