Malaysia, S'pore put up cyber defenses

Development of Singapore's new center to monitor cyber threats is in progress, but its launch will be delayed.

A spokesperson for the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) told ZDNet Asia that the National Cyberthreat Monitoring Center (NCMC) will be launched in early 2007. The government had originally targeted to have the center ready in the second half of 2006.

First announced in February 2005, the NCMC is part of a S$38 million (US$23.9 million) initiative to protect Singapore businesses and Internet users against online threats.

Although the Authority declined to reveal further details about the center, ZDNet Asia understands that the NCMC will be managed by a service provider. As previously reported, it is expected to provide 24/7 tracking and analysis of cyber threats including viruses, phishing scams and hacking attempts.

Neighboring Malaysia also announced recently a major initiative to provide a platform for international governments and the IT industry to share ideas and technologies in combating cyber threats.

Malaysia's The Star reported that the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber-Terrorism (IMPACT) would for a start focus its activities in security certification, research and development; as well as establishing a global emergency response centre.

IMPACT will commence operations by the end of this year, according to news agency Bernama.

Trend Micro, one of the partners involved in IMPACT, announced in a statement that it will encourage IT security officers in government departments to undergo its Trend Micro Certified Antivirus Professional training program.

The security vendor has also proposed to IMPACT an educational program targeted at Malaysian students at the primary, secondary and college levels. Goh Chee Hoh, Trend Micro's managing director for Asia South, added in an e-mail that the TCAP could be customized for school curriculum.