Check Point Software – On Singapore’s National Cybersecurity initiatives

“Check Point Software Technologies welcomes and supports the focus in ICT security in the wake of the Singapore government’s release of ICT tenders for fiscal 2016. This furthers strengthens the government’s focus on cybersecurity efforts. As the largest pure-play security vendor globally, coupled with the MOU signed with CSA, Check Point is ready to support the Singapore Government in the strengthening of the security ecosystem,” said Steve McWhirter, Regional Vice President, Check Point, Asia Middle East and Africa.

Cyber threats have dramatically increased in both sophistication and volume throughout the years and attackers are now able to target a wide range of platforms.

Moving from the PC to the Mobile World, attacks are now targeting connected devices and cars (also known as the internet of things or “IOT”). These threats can no longer be ignored. Late last year, Ukraine experienced a blackout due to what was later identified as a cyberattack. This attack was the first proven cyberattack to successfully damage electric utilities, and showcased the potential catastrophic implications of an attack on critical infrastructure.

For the average citizen, mobile threats continue to rise and evolve. In the last 2 months, Check Point researchers disclosed details about SideStepper, a vulnerability that can be used to install malicious enterprise apps on iPhone and iPad devices enrolled with a mobile device management solution.

Most recently, a new type of Android malware (Viking Horde) was uncovered on Google Play that conducts ad fraud but has the ability to conduct DDoS attacks and spam messages. According to Check Point’s Threat Index, Singapore was ranked 42 out of 100 riskiest countries. Nepal was top on the list and other Southeast Asia countries listed was Indonesia (7th), Vietnam (8th), Philippines (15th) and Thailand (24th).

The ransomware Singapore experienced was Zeus, Cryptodef and Teslacrypt. “The threats are real. And it doesn’t matter if you are an executive sitting in an office or your average person on the street, it affects all of us. And we all need to prevent these threats, rather than to remediate a lost situation,” McWhirter said.