SINGAPORE: Government agencies on Saturday (Apr 19) urged General Election candidates to stay vigilant against potential foreign interference and cybersecurity risks to safeguard the integrity of the election.
Foreign interference involves attempts by foreign actors to "manipulate domestic politics through covert and deceptive means”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the Elections Department (ELD) said in a joint news release.
The goal is to advance the foreign actor’s own interests, they added.
The agencies cited reports of alleged foreign interference in elections elsewhere, such as last year's Moldovan Presidential Election and the 2017 French Presidential Election.
"Singapore is not immune to such risks," they said. "The outcome of Singapore’s elections must be for Singaporeans alone to decide. We should safeguard the integrity of our electoral processes."
Information on some methods used by foreign actors to interfere in elections, as well as precautions candidates can take to mitigate the risks of becoming a target of or unwittingly facilitating foreign interference, is available on the ELD’s website.
Taking steps, such as fact-checking information received and monitoring their own social media platforms for suspicious or anomalous activity, will help safeguard their campaigns from potential foreign interference threats, the agencies said.
A similar advisory was issued ahead of the 2023 Presidential Election and the 2020 General Election.
The agencies also warned of cybersecurity risks ahead of the General Election on May 3.
Instances of malicious cyber activity – such as disruption of services, data theft, manipulation and misinformation, and social engineering – have been reported during the elections of other countries.
This affected their electorates’ confidence in the election processes, they said.
Singapore, as a highly digitally connected nation, must guard against attempts to disrupt the election processes or cast doubts on the integrity of the General Election, the agencies added.
Preventive measures to mitigate cybersecurity risks include establishing strict access control and remote access privileges to digital assets, enforcing strong password management and performing regular software updates to protect campaign devices from known vulnerabilities.
Candidates should also raise cybersecurity awareness among campaign staff and volunteers, and develop cybersecurity monitoring and incident response capabilities.
"Candidates play an important role in safeguarding the integrity of the election," the agencies said.
"They are advised to stay vigilant by monitoring their platforms for suspicious activities and not re-share posts of suspicious origin."
Candidates are urged to make a police report immediately and keep the ELD informed if they detect or suspect foreign interference in the election, or that their accounts or systems have been compromised or misused.
Continue reading...
Foreign interference involves attempts by foreign actors to "manipulate domestic politics through covert and deceptive means”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and the Elections Department (ELD) said in a joint news release.
The goal is to advance the foreign actor’s own interests, they added.
The agencies cited reports of alleged foreign interference in elections elsewhere, such as last year's Moldovan Presidential Election and the 2017 French Presidential Election.
"Singapore is not immune to such risks," they said. "The outcome of Singapore’s elections must be for Singaporeans alone to decide. We should safeguard the integrity of our electoral processes."
Information on some methods used by foreign actors to interfere in elections, as well as precautions candidates can take to mitigate the risks of becoming a target of or unwittingly facilitating foreign interference, is available on the ELD’s website.
Taking steps, such as fact-checking information received and monitoring their own social media platforms for suspicious or anomalous activity, will help safeguard their campaigns from potential foreign interference threats, the agencies said.
A similar advisory was issued ahead of the 2023 Presidential Election and the 2020 General Election.
Related:
CYBERSECURITY RISKS
The agencies also warned of cybersecurity risks ahead of the General Election on May 3.
Instances of malicious cyber activity – such as disruption of services, data theft, manipulation and misinformation, and social engineering – have been reported during the elections of other countries.
This affected their electorates’ confidence in the election processes, they said.
Singapore, as a highly digitally connected nation, must guard against attempts to disrupt the election processes or cast doubts on the integrity of the General Election, the agencies added.
Preventive measures to mitigate cybersecurity risks include establishing strict access control and remote access privileges to digital assets, enforcing strong password management and performing regular software updates to protect campaign devices from known vulnerabilities.
Candidates should also raise cybersecurity awareness among campaign staff and volunteers, and develop cybersecurity monitoring and incident response capabilities.
"Candidates play an important role in safeguarding the integrity of the election," the agencies said.
"They are advised to stay vigilant by monitoring their platforms for suspicious activities and not re-share posts of suspicious origin."
Candidates are urged to make a police report immediately and keep the ELD informed if they detect or suspect foreign interference in the election, or that their accounts or systems have been compromised or misused.
Continue reading...