The government of Singapore has signed a two-year Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Canada to bolster efforts to increase threat information sharing and intelligence cooperation on cybersecurity issues, according to a Canada Standards Associations (CSA) press release.
The initial joint agreement with both countries covers cooperation in key areas including, information exchange on emerging threats, sharing of practice on human resource development, technical and certification provisions.
The MoU agreement was finalized on the side-lines of the 33rd ASEAN Summit held in Singapore. The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and US Vice President, Mike Pence, were among those who attended the event.
In the press release, the CSA said the joint cooperation will continue to bolster Singapore’s cybersecurity infrastructure and deepen the already extensive cybersecurity cooperation Singapore has with both Canada and the U.S.
“With cybersecurity as a transboundary issue, strong international partnerships remain key to navigating the increasingly complex cyber terrain. The MoU will help to strengthen the cybersecurity landscape of both countries. We are also happy to be working together on cybersecurity capacity building initiatives in the region,” said Mr David Koh, Chief Executive, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.
In order to promote the best cybersecurity practices, the Singapore agency added that the agreement will help facilitate “cybersecurity training workshops focusing on various aspects of technical cybersecurity capacity building and involving technology industry partners”.
A variety of different workshops, as mentioned in the release, will be held in Singapore and other regional venues “alongside participating Asean member states”.
Cybersecurity priorities
Cybersecurity is also now a priority for the Canadian government, with $500m invested over the next five years, according to BNN Bloomberg.
The budget will be used to create the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security for businesses, and includes a range of initiatives aimed at protecting the country and its citizens from the on-going threat of online cyber-attacks.
Prior to the agreement, CSA also signed MoUs with Australia, France, India, the Netherlands, the United States, the UK, a joint declaration of cybersecurity cooperation with Germany, and a memorandum of cooperation on cybersecurity with Japan.
With both countries keen to improve their cyber defenses, much can be expected from the MoU agreement over the next couple of months.
Written by Islam Soliman
