Asia Pacific countries most vulnerable to advanced cyber-attacks

SINGAPORE - 229 days of plundering and phishing data.

That is how long it takes for advanced hackers to remain undetected before being discovered, exposing organisations to potential malicious activity for months.

Besides the alarming statistic uncovered by network security company FireEye, its other reports have revealed that Asia Pacific countries are more susceptible to advanced-cyber attacks than the world as a whole.

In response to these modern threats, telco SingTel and FireEye are collaborating to set up and jointly operate Advanced Security Operation Centres (ASOCs) in Singapore and Sydney.

Manned by about 150 cyber security professionals, these centres will continuously monitor, analyse and contain threats and malware to enterprises and government organisations around-the-clock.

The two companies issued a joint statement on Tuesday detailing the strategic partnership between the two companies.

Mr Bill Chang, SingTel's CEO Group Enterprise, said: "With more mobile devices consuming enterprise data and increasingly exposed to malware attacks, SingTel and FireEye will join forces to provide threat mitigation for mobile devices as well."

The partnership also aims to strengthen the industry's awareness and knowledge in dealing with cyber threats by publishing Asia pacific-focused threat advisory reports bi-annually. 

The ASOCs will be integrated with SingTel's Network Operations Centres and FireEye's global network of ASOCs for real-time monitoring of threats and intelligence.

The recent spate of hackings on cloud-based servers and websites have also spooked many companies.

Mr Stephen Lim, Chairman of Technology Committee at the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: "Security and trust have constantly ranked among industries' top concerns.

"This is accentuated today when businesses depend on cloud-based solutions to operate.

Ms Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, said that Singapore is seeking to develop an ecosystem where industry and government work together to strengthen our cyber defences.

"This includes building local infrastructure and capabilities, developing cyber security expertise with educational institutions, as well as encouraging the adoption of cyber security measures among businesses and individuals," she said.

"SingTel and FireEye's strategic collaboration will help raise the level of cyber security readiness in Singapore and the Asia Pacific, and IDA looks forward to having more of such industry initiatives."

grongloh@sph.com.sg