Cyber resilience centre to open in 2026 as one-stop support hub for SMEs facing cyber threats

SINGAPORE – Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be able to turn to a new helpline if they become victims of cyber attacks.

A new one-stop Cyber Resilience Centre (CRC), which mans the helpline, will also provide cyber-security diagnostics, or systems analysis to identify vulnerabilities.

To open in 2026, CRC will be operated by and located on the premises of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF).

Trade associations like SGTech and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry will also provide resources to run CRC, an initiative spearheaded by SBF and supported by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.

Announcing the establishment of the CRC at the SG Cyber Safe for Enterprises forum, held during Singapore International Cyber Week on Oct 21, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How said the centre serves as a central node to help businesses strengthen defences before attacks occur and recover quickly when incidents happen.

Mr Tan pointed out that more than eight in 10 enterprises in Singapore have encountered at least one cyber-security incident in a year, and almost all of them suffered business disruptions, data loss and reputation damage.

An SBF spokesman said SMEs are often unsure which vendor to call and will rely on informal channels.

Cyber criminals are also increasingly targeting SMEs as they tend to be more resource-constrained and lack dedicated IT and cyber-security teams. Thus, they may not have implemented adequate cyber-security measures and are seen as easy targets.

Mr Tan said SMEs can benefit from the workshops that the centre will organise.

“These workshops include cyber-security starter workshops that equip SMEs with baseline cyber-hygiene measures that are aligned to CSA’s Cyber Essentials. There will also be programmes to help businesses to enhance their cyber-security capabilities.

“The centre will also provide post-incident support to businesses. This will take the form of cyber incident triage, advisory and referral to incident response companies that can help them to recover when they are impacted by cyber-security incidents,” said Mr Tan.

He said this is important as many companies, especially SMEs, have told the Government that they do not know what to do when they are hit by a cyber incident.

“Whether data is locked up in ransomware or they are compromised, they don’t know who to turn to, what recourse they have and what resources are available to them. So this centre will play a very important role in terms of helping our companies uplift their cyber-security posture,” said Mr Tan.

The CRC also plans to offer assistance to companies to improve their cyber-security measures through the CSA’s CISO as-a-service programme.

CISOs are chief information security officers, who provide consultancy services to SMEs to put in place cyber-hygiene measures.

There will also be cyber drills to equip SMEs with incident response recovery know-how.

The centre’s key priorities when it opens in 2026 are to raise awareness of the helpline as a trusted first-responder channel for businesses encountering cyber incidents, and to strengthen the baseline cyber hygiene of local businesses.

Mr Lee Yee Fung, SBF’s chief smart technologies and sustainability officer, said: “Through the helpline and practical capability-building initiatives, we seek to support businesses to operate with confidence and safeguard their assets in today’s digital-first economy.”

Mr Tan said information and communications technology (ICT) providers are also being targeted by cyber criminals. This is because ICT providers serve many customers, so cyber attackers see them as nodes of opportunities to take down their customers.

To enhance supply chain security, CSA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority have developed a new framework for ICT vendors that requires them to establish essential security measures and controls.

Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How (centre) looking on as guests participated in an interactive cyber-security-themed game at the SG Cyber Safe for Enterprises event, held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Oct 21.

ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Separately, Singapore is taking a collective approach in enhancing cyber security in the region.

It organised its first physical iteration of an annual cyber drill, dubbed the Asean Cert Incident Drill, on Oct 21 and 22.

The exercises took place at the Asean-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, where the Asean Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert) is co-located.

A total of 36 incident responders from the 10 Asean member states, Timor-Leste, as well as dialogue partners like Australia, China and India, were set to participate in the drill, which is running for the 20th time.

One such session during the cyber drill on Oct 21 saw participants responding to attacks on network edge devices such as virtual private network appliances and secure remote access gateways.

Participants used a new centralised communication channel, commissioned in May 2025, for the first time to facilitate threat intelligence.

“Cyber security is a team sport,” said Ms Siow Jing Xuan, 26, who represented CSA’s Singapore Cyber Emergency Response Team at the session.

There will also be simulated attacks on multiple countries’ critical systems to test participants’ coordination in threat mitigation, remediation, recovery and takedown.

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