COMBAT CYBERCRIME National Cybercrime Action Plan (NCAP) The Internet has afforded criminal elements the opportunity to commit cybercrimes quickly, easily and on a large scale. Criminals have also exploited the anonymity provided by the Internet and the transnational nature of cybercrime to escape detection and prosecution. These characteristics of cybercrime pose significant challenges for law enforcement agencies around the world. As the use of the Internet becomes more prevalent in Singapore, the number of cybercrime cases has risen sharply. Recognising the need for a concerted and coordinated national effort to effectively deal with the cybercrime, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) launched the National Cybercrime Action Plan (NCAP) in July 2016. The NCAP sets out the Government’s key principles and priorities in combating cybercrime. The Plan also details the Government’s ongoing efforts and future plans to tackle cybercrime. The vision of the NCAP is to ensure a safe and secure online environment for Singapore. The NCAP has four priority areas: Educating and empowering the public to stay safe in cyberspace A Prevention is the best way to combat cybercrime; the majority of cybercrimes can be prevented if businesses and individuals are educated on the risks of cybercrime and adopt simple cybercrime prevention measures to protect themselves online. 26 CHAPTER 2 (i) Conducting outreach to the general public (ii) Engagement of vulnerable groups in society In order to educate and empower the public to stay safe in cyberspace, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) regularly shares cybercrime prevention messages with the public via various media platforms, such as television, newspapers, social media, text messages and posters at public transport nodes and lifts in public housing blocks. At the local community level, SPF’s Neighbourhood Police Centres frequently engage the residents through Community Safety & Security Programmes and roadshows. Through its Public Cyber-Outreach & Resilience Programme (PCORP), SPF uses behavioural insights to nudge the general public to adopt good cyber hygiene practices. SPF has also tailored its cybercrime prevention outreach programmes to match the profile of different vulnerable groups in society, thereby ensuring that the message of cybercrime prevention is effectively communicated to all segments of society. Through its Collaborative Social Programme (CoSP), SPF will work with schools and NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) to raise cybercrime prevention awareness among vulnerable groups. (iii) Providing a one-stop selfhelp portal against scams SPF has worked with the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) to transform the Scam Alert website (www.scamalert.sg) into a one-stop self-help portal against scams. The portal will provide information to the public on the different types of scams, and empower the public to take steps to guard against them. B Enhancing the Government’s capacity and capability to combat cybercrime The transnational nature of cybercrimes, coupled with the speed and scale at which such crimes are perpetrated, presents formidable challenges for traditional law enforcement approaches. In order to effectively combat cybercrime, the Government will (i) establish the SPF Cybercrime Command, (ii) boost cybercrime investigation capabilities, (iii) equip public officers with the relevant skills to combat cybercrime, and (iv) enhance coordination between SPF and government agencies. (i) Establishing the SPF Cybercrime Command The SPF Cybercrime Command was established in December 2015 to increase the agility and effectiveness of the SPF to respond to cybercrimes by integrating SPF’s cyber-related investigation, forensics, intelligence and crime prevention capabilities within a single command. (ii) Boosting cybercrime investigation capabilities SPF has also embarked on several technology initiatives to improve its cybercrime investigation capabilities. These efforts will enable SPF to effectively investigate the rising number of cybercrime cases and quickly process large volumes of digital information in order to sieve out necessary evidence for a successful prosecution. One such initiative is the DIGital Evidence Search Tool (DIGEST) that will automate the forensic processing of voluminous data. This will in turn lighten the workload of investigation officers and allow them to focus their efforts on more specialised investigation functions. The tool will also reduce the processing time for digital evidence, ensuring that investigation officers can follow up on leads expeditiously and solve cases in a shorter time. (iii) Equipping public officers handling sensitive data with the relevant skills to combat cybercrime cybercrime. To achieve this, a Cyber Security Lab (CSL) has been set up in the CCSS as a modern hands-on facility for familiarising trainees on approaches to mitigate cyber threats and investigate cyber incidents. CCSS will expand its curriculum to offer a variety of skills-based courses, ranging from cybersecurity fundamentals and cyber defence, to incident response, digital forensics and malware analysis. These courses are tailored to the needs of officers, depending on their professional roles and competency requirements. (iv) Strengthening coordination between SPF and government agencies SPF also works closely with its partner agencies to ensure a coordinated response to cybercrimes. In recent years, AGC and SPF have worked closely together on sensitive and highprofile cybercrime cases, coming together right from the start of the investigations. AGC’s expertise has helped SPF to ensure that crucial evidence is secured at an early stage and that police investigations are watertight. Given the closely-related nature of cybersecurity and cybercrime, SPF and CSA will work together to ensure an effective response to cyber-related incidents and conduct exercises to stress-test existing workflows, coordination arrangements and procedures. In recognition of growing cybersecurity and cybercrime threats, the Centre for Cyber Security Studies (CCSS) was established in 2014 within the Home Team Academy (HTA). The CCSS facilitates the capability and capacity development of Home Team Departments and key stakeholders responsible for the protection and operations of infocomm systems across the public sector. One of CCSS’ core functions is to equip Home Team officers with the necessary skills to deal with CHAPTER 2 27