PUBLISHED ONUPDATEDBYSean LerAs adoption of new technologies grows at a faster pace in everyday life and businesses, the cybersecurity solutions that protect us today may not be enough for tomorrow's challenge, said Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam.
"We therefore need to continually innovate by developing new approaches and capabilities to keep pace with emerging threats," the minister of state said in her opening address at the CyberSG Innovation Day 2026 on Tuesday (Nov 10), where 13 cybersecurity companies were announced as recipients of approximately $5.6 million in funding under CyberCall 2025 as part of efforts by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) to develop capabilities required for long-term national cyber resilience.
Earlier in her address, she pointed to recent incidents in Europe, where hackers had targeted the refrigeration systems of supermarkets.
And over the recent weekend, officials across Europe reported a fresh wave of bomb threats against multiple flights and broadcasters, with secure messaging apps that allowed for greater anonymity making tracing more complex.
"Such incidents remind us that cybersecurity is not just about protecting systems, but also the essential services that people rely on every day," Rahayu said, noting that artificial intelligence (AI) has made sophisticated attacks easier to carry out.
She added that even less-skilled attackers may be capable of causing serious disruption in the increasingly connected world.
But even as Singapore must continually innovate, developing new approaches and capabilities to keep pace with emerging threats, it cannot be developing every cybersecurity solution itself.
This, Rahayu said, means being pragmatic and drawing on the best ideas and technologies from around the world.
And where existing solutions do not adequately address the country's security and operational needs, it must have the expertise and capabilities to develop solutions of its own, the minister of state added.
In terms of building an ecosystem, she said that Singapore must focus on developing leading-edge capabilities, translating innovation into real-world adoption, and helping promising companies grow and compete internationally.
Contextualising this approach, CSA's chief executive Gwenda Fong explained that the Republic will continue to draw on the best technologies and expertise from around the world, while deliberately deepening the capabilities that it needs to protect its most critical systems.
She pointed to the 13 cybersecurity companies, which received approximately $5.6 million in funding under CyberCall 2025, as examples of efforts to develop capabilities required for long-term national cyber resilience.
Alongside the funding award at this year's CyberSG Innovation Day, the 2026 edition of CyberCall was also launched on the same day to encourage solutions to real-world cybersecurity challenges.
This included initiatives to help cybersecurity companies connect with potential users and bring their innovations to market.
Fong said that CyberCall is one of the means through which her agency can work with infrastructure operators and industry partners to identify problems where new capabilities are needed, and bring researchers and companies together to tackle them.
She cited the example of ST Engineering D'Crypt, which is developing a quantum-safe encryption solution that combines quantum key distribution and post-quantum cryptography to strengthen the protection of critical information infrastructure.
"The significance is not simply the technology itself. It is that we are developing new approaches now, so that critical infrastructure operators can better understand the solutions available to them as they prepare for the transition to quantum-safe systems," the chief executive explained.
Beyond creating an environment where such partnerships and capabilities can grow, Fong said that it is equally important that businesses and entities can find and use the capabilities that already exist.
To this end, she announced the relaunch of CyberSG Atlas — an AI-powered cybersecurity solutions catalogue. There, businesses can discover cybersecurity solutions and find relevant guidance.
Rounding up her keynote address, Fong called on organisations in Singapore to put forth their hardest cybersecurity problems.
"Bring us your boldest ideas. And work with us to turn those ideas into capabilities that make a real difference," she said, adding that the strength of Singapore's cybersecurity ecosystem will ultimately be measured by the capabilities it can depend on to keep the country secure.
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