Political parties advised to protect against cyber threats and foreign interference ahead of GE
The authorities warned that foreign actors may deliberately spread false information, falsify their identities and artificially inflate public sentiment in order to influence elections.
SINGAPORE — An advisory has been issued to political parties here, warning them of potential cyber security risks and threats of foreign intervention in the upcoming General Election and how they should protect themselves against becoming targets.
In a joint statement on Monday (April 20), the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Elections Department said political parties should “enhance their understanding of the threat of foreign interference and their cyber security posture”.
This is because political parties play an important role in safeguarding the integrity of the General Election, which must be held by April 2021, they said.
As such, the parties should also find out more about the precautionary steps they can take to protect their online data.
Previously, the Government had said it was considering introducing new laws to reduce the prospect of foreign actors subverting politically involved individuals and organisations here.
Another new law, to counter deliberate online falsehoods, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), came into effect last October.
In the advisories, the authorities laid out examples of potential cyber security threats and the tools foreign actors could use to manipulate elections.
For example, potential cyber security threats include website defacement, disruptions to internet traffic and data breaches.
The authorities also warned that foreign actors may deliberately spread false information, falsify their identities and artificially inflate public sentiment in order to influence elections.
They added that such activity has already been observed in the elections of other countries, such as the United States presidential elections in 2016, as well as the French presidential elections and the German federal elections, which both took place in 2017.
To protect themselves from cyber security threats, political parties should take the necessary steps to safeguard their online data, devices — such as smartphones and computers — and social media accounts, the advisory added.
This includes only allowing authorised software to run on their devices, restricting access to their devices and accounts, and implementing multi-factor authentication when and where possible.
They should also keep their devices up to date with the latest security software, and monitor their devices and accounts to detect breaches.
To protect themselves against foreign interference, political parties should avoid reposting or forwarding articles, text messages, memes or social media posts without verifying their source and authenticity, the advisory added.
Political parties should also monitor their social media platforms for suspicious activity and abide by the Political Donations Act 2000 and its regulations.
Should parties detect any suspicious behaviour, they should lodge a police report immediately and keep the Elections Department informed, said the authorities.
