Building a pipeline of local product evaluation talent
As the demands for the nation’s cybersecurity evaluation grow, so will the demand for competent security evaluators and a sustained talent pipeline of such professionals.
To meet this demand, NiCE will provide training, development, and certification for students and professionals to equip them with relevant security evaluation competencies, as well as knowledge about certification processes and evaluation methodologies necessary for them to transit seamlessly into the industry.
For example, NTU and CSA launched a Graduate Certificate in Hardware Security Evaluation and Certification last year which leverages the state-of-the-art facilities at NiCE to provide deep professional training on evaluation techniques. The certificate aims to train and upskill professionals in the industry as well as for professionals who are keen to join the industry.
NiCE will also enhance existing cybersecurity curriculum for students to include topics such as security evaluation. Students can also apply for internships at NiCE to gain exposure to the cybersecurity industry. Information on available courses, certification and internships are available on the NiCE website.
Ensuring safety through Security-by-Design
The work at NiCE is aligned with CSA’s goal of promoting Security-by-Design through security evaluation. CSA kickstarted the process with the Singapore Common Criteria Scheme and Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) to certify infocomm products in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
CSA and the Singapore Standards Council have also developed the national standard, Technical Reference 91, on Cybersecurity Labelling for Consumer IoT. This sets out the guiding principles to design and build safe and secure consumer IoT devices according to CLS security requirements.
As at end-April 2022, the two schemes have seen healthy take-up by manufacturers. More than 200 products have been submitted for labelling under the four levels of CLS and 20 products submitted for evaluation at higher assurance levels under the SCCS.
To make it easier for manufacturers to attain the highest CLS security rating, CSA has introduced an initiative known as “CLS-Ready”. Security functionalities provided by CLS-Ready hardware will no longer be needed to be tested again at the end-device level, allowing developers and manufactures to save time and cost while not compromising on security. More details about CLS-Ready may be found in the factsheet in Annex A.
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Media contact:
Mr Lester Hio
Manager, Media Relations
Corporate Communications Office
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Tel: (65) 6790-5417
Email: lester.hio@ntu.edu.sg
Ms Cheryl Lee
Senior Manager, Comms and Engagement Office
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
Email: Cheryl_LEE@csa.gov.sg
About Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up jointly with Imperial College London.
NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N).
Ranked amongst the world’s top universities by QS, NTU has also been named the world’s top young university for the past seven years. The University’s main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and it has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) building projects, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Singapore’s healthcare district.
Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.
For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg.
About the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
Established in 2015, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) seeks to keep Singapore’s cyberspace safe and secure to underpin our Nation Security, power a Digital Economy and protect our Digital Way of Life. It maintains an oversight of national cybersecurity functions, and works with sector leads to protect Singapore’s Critical Information Infrastructure. CSA also engages with various stakeholders to heighten cyber security awareness, build a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem supported by a robust workforce, pursue international partnerships and drive regional cybersecurity capacity building programmes.
CSA is part of the Prime Minister’s Office and is managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information. For more news and information, please visit www.csa.gov.sg.
