Keyboard warrior at the frontline
Cyber Security Ops Centre Operator CPL Sim Tian Quan poses for a photo at the Cyber Security Ops centre, on Feb 27, 2017. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY
SINGAPORE — For full-time national serviceman (NSF) Sim Tian Quan, National Service has been far from run-of-the-mill: He is part of a team that keeps an eye on the networks of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and reacts to any cyber incidents.
When such an incident occurs, Corporal (CPL) Sim would have to determine the extent of the attack, including its severity. The 21-year-old, who enlisted in 2015 and has an IT diploma from Singapore Polytechnic, then consults his military superiors to devise a course of action to mitigate the attack’s impact. The team works in the Cyber Security Operations Centre at the Cyber Defence Operations Hub.
“It’s something no one would expect to become (a part) of when you join the Army,” CPL Sim said.
As cyber threats evolve, he has had to constantly brush up his knowledge by tracking cyber-related news, for example.
His advice for NSFs who may be deployed to take up cyber-defence work? “Fear not, because this vocation definitely doesn’t lose out in terms of warfare operations. (It’s) an inaugural part of the SAF operations as well,” he said. “This is where we get to show our skills and talent.”
At the hub is also Military Expert 2 (ME2) Seah Eng Kwee, 33, who is in charge of cyber investigations and incident response. The SIM University infocomm technology graduate took up this role three or four years ago.
When there is a cyber incident, he and his team go to a Web server to contain it and extract digital evidence. They then investigate the incident and recommend appropriate mitigating measures. At other times, the SAF regular and his team check the systems of the Defence Ministry and the SAF for vulnerabilities, and recommend measures to plug these gaps. He is on call on a rotating basis to respond to incidents that happen overnight.
It is not very often that the more sophisticated threats bypass the military’s sensors, ME2 Seah said.
“I’m interested in this field, so in my personal time, I also do cyber-related stuff. So I feel a sense of achievement,” he said.
