Singapore publicservants computers to have no Internet access from may next year

[Guest Guest]

How productive will we be from 2017 ? 

 

Singapore public servants' computers to have no Internet access from May next year

The move is aimed at plugging potential leaks from work e-mail and shared documents amid heightened security threats. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

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4 hours ago

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Irene Tham

Tech Editor

itham@sph.com.sg

All computers used officially by public servants in Singapore will be cut off from the Internet from May next year, in an unprecedented move to tighten security.

A memo is going out to all government agencies, ministries and statutory boards here about the Internet blockade a year from now, The Straits Times has learnt.

There are some 100,000 computers in use by the public service and all of them will be affected.

 

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"The Singapore Government regularly reviews our IT measures to make our network more secure," a spokesman for the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said when contacted.

The move is aimed at plugging potential leaks from work e-mail and shared documents amid heightened security threats.

 

 

Trials started with some employees within the IDA - the lead agency for this exercise - as early as April. Web surfing can be done only on the employees' personal tablets or mobile phones as these devices do not have access to government e-mail systems. Dedicated Internet terminals have been issued to those who need them for work.

The Straits Times understands that public servants will be allowed to forward work e-mails to their private accounts, if they need to.

It is rare even for banks, telcos and casinos - which are known to have the strictest computer-use policies - to cut off Internet access on all work terminals.

Banks give only some personnel - such as analysts, sales staff and corporate communications employees - Internet access, but file-sharing, Web-hosted e-mail and pornography websites are blocked. The fear is that staff may download malware accidentally from dodgy websites, or share sensitive documents online.

Mr Aloysius Cheang, Asia-Pacific executive vice-president of global computing security association Cloud Security Alliance, said the Government's move marks a return to the past - the 1990s - when Internet access was available only on dedicated terminals.

"In the past, it was hard for malware to extract sensitive information from within government networks," he said. "Now, it is hard to control any leak on social media or file-sharing sites."

It will take time to convince users about the new system as the Internet is ingrained in most work processes. One teacher noted that he uses it extensively to develop worksheets and test papers.

[Guest wah lau]

Mr Aloysius Cheang, Asia-Pacific executive vice-president of global computing security association Cloud Security Alliance, said the Government's move marks a return to the past - the 1990s - when Internet access was available only on dedicated terminals.

[Guest 1960s]

1 minute ago, Guest wah lau said:

Mr Aloysius Cheang, Asia-Pacific executive vice-president of global computing security association Cloud Security Alliance, said the Government's move marks a return to the past - the 1990s - when Internet access was available only on dedicated terminals.

 

 

Anyway...while other countries are moving forward, we are moving backwards.....discourage cars , encourage Bicycles....just like in China 30 years ago, there were car-lite, a special lane assigned to bicycles.  Today now in Shanghai, not many cycles to work....no more such lanes

[Guest snail post]

I presume to reach govt dept, means u have to write snail mails by posts ?

[Guest StoneAge]

oh no, sisters and brothers working in garment sectors can no longer surf BW forum on their work desk.  Only on the personal mobile when using the toilet. LOL

 

PS: Since they are called public servants, can we call them to buy coffee for us?

[Guest old times]

That is phase 1 niah.....sub sub water

 

Wait for phase 2, all civil servants will revert to pen and paper. Abacus too.

 

No smart phones too, no cameras, cos all these can leak info

[Guest guest]

I recall in the 90's when we want to make a photocopy for our department, we have to walk half an hour to Central department in our army camp. While lei chay, but we are dammed happy, cos when we reached the Central Department, at least 30 clerks ahead of us on the queue.

 

We had great fun, tea breaks coffee breaks waiting for our turns....so remisincings of old times...get paid , less work, more waiting time, and bosses do not blamed, cos information are handcarried and very confidential.

Doesn't this top Civil Servants (CS) know something called "Thumb Drive" that have 128GB storage space......

 

If that CS wants to be traitor, anything can be copied out with a small thumb drive.

 

Might as well remove all USB slots from CS computer.

 

In that case, what CS will get is just e-mail among the Government Departments, nothing more. But this can't stop them from printing confidential documents. So remove all printers from government departments.

 

[puppyfart]

if there's a will, there's a way

if folks wanted to leak a doc, they would find a way to leak the doc anyways

[Guest HIDE]

   

For such extreme measures, ah gong sure got a lot to hide... they are scared of the Panama Papers happening to them... , most of the internet hackers target scandals and less on security... but ah gong is using security as an excuse to sweep their secrets under the carpet...

 

Google and Facebook are using rewards to plug their security holes while we choose to close the 'tap' altogether reali 'smart' move.

[fab]

Cut cost for tax payers.

[Vometra]

Anyone who has been back to reservist will know how slow things get done. Why? The excessive control on the use of SAF issued laptops ...

 

Now the entire public service will become like that ...

[Guest Disgusted]

Frankly, this is ultra typical of our civil service, which always aims to reject problems rather than manage them. Ban this, ban that. Sue this, charge you for that. In this case, it's obviously that they view security threats, or whatever else they dislike, as more important than the benefits the age of information brings. My guess is that this is going to result in a lot of blunders and delays, with corresponding heaps of excuses given. Then some big shot would come forth to revamp, and claim career victory at the end of it.

 

[KENZ]

Typical.

A few people do mistake whole country suffer.

 

[Vometra]

Well, 70% adores this style of governance ...

[Guest Disgusted]

47 minutes ago, Vometra said:

Well, 70% adores this style of governance ...

70% of singaporeans are proven idiots. Still feel proud being singaporean? 

[Cube3]

5 hours ago, fab said:

Cut cost for tax payers.

 

Really? Now all civil services are going to require at least TWO computers: one for official use and one for other uses e.g. referencing via internet etc. And work will be less efficient - more man-hours, more un-productiveness, more errors!