Phishing exercise to strengthen cyber resilience part of nationwide Total Defence campaign

SINGAPORE: Starting from Saturday (Feb 15), more than 200 large companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will participate in a phishing exercise for two weeks.

This phishing exercise, a first-time partnership between the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), is part of this year's Exercise SG Ready.

It encourages businesses to "strengthen their cyber resilience and to review their business continuity plans in face of potential cyberattacks and other disruptions", MINDEF said on Saturday. 

The exercise will involve firms from different sectors including manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and construction, it added.

Exercise SG Ready, a nationwide Total Defence exercise, was launched last year in line with the 40th anniversary of Singapore's national defence concept.

Total defence in Singapore encompasses the military, civil, economic, social and psychological domains, with the newest, sixth pillar of digital defence added in 2019.

The aim of Exercise SG Ready is to get individuals, communities and businesses to reflect on whether they are ready for disruptions and to put Total Defence into action through contingency plans for disruptions, MINDEF said in a news release. 

This year’s exercise is co-led by MINDEF and the Energy Market Authority (EMA), with a focus on strengthening Singaporeans' preparedness for power disruptions.

More than 1,000 organisations comprising schools, communities, businesses and government agencies will carry out different disruption or preparedness activities across two weeks. This is more than the over 800 organisations that participated last year.

On Saturday, the second edition of Exercise SG Ready was kicked off by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong at the Total Defence Day commemoration event held at the SBF Center. 

During his speech, Mr Gan said Singapore must be alert to threats within the community as well as those in the digital world, and put in place robust safeguards to protect data, devices and systems online. 

Businesses must also continue to stand firm against economic coercion, while also forging new avenues for growth in the region, he said.

People in Singapore must also "make the effort" to broaden their social networks with those of other races, religions and nationalities, Mr Gan added. 

"As the challenges we face are becoming more complex, it is even more important that we strengthen our whole-of-nation response - economic, social, civil, digital, psychological, and military - to be vigilant, to be prepared when disruptions happen, and to support one another so that we can stay united and recover faster and stronger."

Also in attendance at the event was Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, who witnessed the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MINDEF, SBF and Nexus, which is responsible for Total Defence and national education. 

The MOU aims to strengthen business organisations' resilience against cyber threats.

PHISHING EMAILS, LIFT RESCUE AND ARMY RECALL

During the two-week period until Feb 28, select employees from the participating organisations will receive simulated phishing emails based on the profile of the companies. 

These emails will include various tactics to encourage recipients to act on instructions such as clicking a link. 

At the end of Exercise SG Ready, results of the phishing exercise will be shared with the respective organisations with suggested areas of improvement.

The phishing exercise is co-led by Nexus and SBF.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) demonstrated how it rescues those trapped in lifts during a simulated power disruption at the SBF Center.

The SCDF typically conducts these operations using hydraulic tools and rescue equipment. During the demonstration, a SCDF representative was lowered down the lift shaft.

Shortly after, a dummy was hoisted up, wearing a rescue harness and a helmet. 

Over at Selarang Camp, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) conducted an operational response exercise, which involved recalling army personnel on standby and preparing the force.

Standby forces were activated on "immediate notice" to return to the camp and participate in a joint operation with the Singapore Police Force to counter a simulated threat scenario.

Major (MAJ) Caine Liew, the force commander of the standby forces at Selarang Camp, said that prior to taking on their standby duties, the soldiers are put through training scenarios so that they will know how to do search and arrest, for instance, when conducting joint patrols with the police.

He added that military defence remains a core pillar of Total Defence amid "increasingly complex global security landscape and uncertain geopolitical developments".

"The SAF's ability to safeguard our sovereignty and way of life becomes increasingly important. So this year's Exercise SG Ready demonstrates the army's ability to quickly respond to crisis," said MAJ Liew. 

Operations specialist of the standby forces Third Sergeant (3SG) Chong Ching Weng told reporters on Saturday that his role involved monitoring the progress of the activation and checking in with the soldiers on situation updates to provide them with the support they need.

The full-time National Serviceman (NSF) added that mock activation exercises are conducted so that the soldiers always remain contactable.

"This exercise is a very significant experience for me because it falls on Total Defence Day and it was my first time being part of the military defence as an NSF. 

"I feel proud to be alongside my buddies as part of this year's (Exercise) SG Ready."

Other activities held as part of Exercise SG Ready also include a counterterrorism and emergency preparedness exercise by SPF and the switching off of facade lights for more than 30 prominent buildings to simulate a power disruption caused by a cyberattack.

The public can visit SGReadyGoWhere to find out about the timings and locations involved in the exercise.