CSA Conducts Exercise Cyber Star 2016 and Unveils New Cyber Forensics Laboratory

Demonstration of an Automated Malware Analysis Tool to Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Teo Chee Hean.

CSA concluded its first multi-sector exercise, Exercise Cyber Star 2016, on 22 March 2016. Comprising a series of scenario planning sessions, workshops and table-top discussions focusing on cyber incident management processes, the final exercise also marks an operational milestone for CSA as it marks its first year of operations. 

Our special guests at the event were Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Teo Chee Hean, and Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-Charge of Cyber Security, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, who observed the exercise. They also took time to interact with participants comprising sector leads and CII owners from four sectors, namely Banking and Finance, Government, Energy and Infocomm to understand their work processes and capabilities for cyber incident response.

Participants from 4 critical sectors responding to a simulated cyber attack, and DPM Teo and Minister Yaacob interacting with an exercise participant from the energy sector. (photos by MCI)

CSA unveiled its Cyber Forensics Laboratory for the first time during the event. The new laboratory is set up to support CSA’s operational role in investigating and responding to cyber incidents that affect Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) sectors and cyber incidents of national significance. At the laboratory, DPM Teo and Minister Yaacob were guided by CSA staff to carry out a disk cloning process using the Portable Forensics Toolkit. This was followed by a demonstration of how malicious files are being analysed using an Automated Malware Analysis Tool and an introduction of the Cyber Command and Control information System, a prototyping effort that provides a glimpse of enhanced capabilities in a future National Security Operations Centre.

The Cybersecurity Forensics Lab is equipped with automated malware analysis tools to deal with ever-increasing number of malware samples.