SGInnovate announced last 01 October 2019 its partnership with ST Engineering and Tegasus International, to launch the “Cybersecurity Professional Series” that seek to enhance the cybersecurity expertise of some 2,500 professionals in Singapore. Comprising two tracks, the courses will include Operational Technology (OT) courses that address existing gaps in cybersecurity training for Critical Information Infrastructure1 (CII) sector professionals, and Information Technology (IT) courses that introduce cybersecurity fundamentals to both technical and business professionals.

Steve Leonard, Founding CEO, SGInnovate said, “Cybersecurity underpins all industries. Technologies such as AI and IoT are generating a lot of excitement, but they also represent sophisticated new platforms for cyberthreats. When it comes to critical infrastructure, a security compromise could have serious implications for the economy or public safety. Given the always-evolving nature of technology, it’s imperative for professionals managing critical infrastructure to continuously upgrade their own capabilities and be well-equipped to identify and prevent potential cyberattacks from any source, at any time.”

Cybersecurity OT courses for professionals in the CII sectors

Structured to align with the key pillars of the Singapore Cybersecurity Strategy, supported by SkillsFuture Singapore, the OT courses will be tailored to the needs of individuals working in the 11 CII sectors in Singapore, including energy, healthcare, media and transport. The OT courses will be jointly offered by the three parties, and aim to train 1,000 professionals and strengthen the resilience of the CII sectors.

The OT courses are specially designed to raise the technical competency levels of CII owners of cyber physical systems. Targeted at engineers, plant operators, supervisors and technical business leaders, the courses incorporate hands-on practical training with realistic scenarios built around operational cyber physical testbeds. As a start, the two courses that would be offered are:

• Cybersecurity Industrial Control Systems Engineer (CSIE)
• Cybersecurity Industrial Control Systems Supervisor (CSIS)

By the end of the courses, participants will be able to recognise the symptoms of an attack and use tools and techniques to investigate possible cyberbreaches into Industrial Control Systems (ICS). They will also be able to demonstrate a multitude of cybersecurity techniques including multi-network exploitation, vulnerability assessment, sensor disruption and defence in-depth. A competency test will also be administered to ensure the retention of the newly acquired knowledge.

“National critical infrastructure is increasingly susceptible to cyberattacks that could cause power service outages, failure of life-support systems or even impact an entire economy,” said Goh Eng Choon, General Manager of Info-Security, Electronics, ST Engineering. “This has underscored the dire need for engineers and workers that support critical operational systems to be sufficiently equipped with specialised ICS cybersecurity skills and expertise. This collaboration will enable us to provide the much-needed knowledge and skills for ICS system managers and operators, to recognise and respond effectively against cyberattacks.”

The CSIE course is now available for registration while the CSIS course is slated to launch by Q4 2019. Both courses are co-delivered by ST Engineering Cybersecurity Academy and Tegasus International.

“There is a huge gap in the cyber ecosystem to upskill and upgrade the existing technologists and engineers for operational cyber defence. We are working with ST Engineering and SGInnovate to launch respective technical courses such as Cybersecurity Industrial Control Systems Engineer, and Principles and Engineering of Secure Solution,” said Ivan Lee, co-founder of Tegasus International.

Cybersecurity IT courses for technical and business professionals

SGInnovate and Tegasus International also collaborate on four IT courses targeted at technical managers, business heads, students and other professionals across all industries. The courses aim to benefit some 1,500 professionals. They comprise:

• Principles and Engineering of Secure Solution
• Principles of Information Security Controls
• Cybersecurity Fundamentals (Part 1)
• Cybersecurity Fundamentals (Part 2)

For the Principles and Engineering of Secure Solution course, eligible trainees can receive the CITREP+ (Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme Plus) course fee support of up to 70% or up to 90% through the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA)1, administered by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

The three-day courses of class-based learning and hands-on assignment will enable participants to have a stronger understanding of cybersecurity threats and how technologies and good cyber hygiene can be adopted to minimise the impact. Participants will learn how to apply what they have learnt to improve their organisational cybersecurity posture and formulate cybersecurity best practices to safeguard organisational interest and mitigate these threats.

The first Cybersecurity IT course will be launched within Q4 2019. The other courses will progressively be introduced in 2020.