Strategies to Increase Public Uptake of Anti-virus Apps for Personal Device Security
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns MP Christopher de Souza’s inquiry into the Cyber Security Agency's (CSA) strategies for increasing public uptake of anti-virus apps to prevent malware infections. Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo shared that the CSA has published a recommended app list and deployed Digital Ambassadors to assist seniors with installations. Furthermore, the CSA partnered with Google to pilot a blocking mechanism for malicious apps and worked with retail banks to integrate anti-malware security features into banking applications. The Minister noted that public uptake grew from 40% in 2020 to 50% in 2022 through various public education and government outreach initiatives. Despite these measures, she emphasized that individuals must maintain vigilance and practice good cyber hygiene, such as avoiding downloads from unknown sources, to counter evolving threats.
Transcript
38 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Communications and Information how does the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) intend to increase the public uptake in installing anti-virus apps on their personal devices to decrease the chances of such devices being infected by malware.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Cybersecurity apps, which include anti-virus apps, help to protect mobile devices against malware and phishing attacks. The Cyber Security Agency (CSA) has been encouraging users of mobile devices to install cybersecurity apps on their devices in its public education initiatives. According to CSA's 2022 Cybersecurity Public Awareness Survey, five in ten persons installed cybersecurity apps, an increase from four in ten persons in 2020.
To help the public choose suitable cybersecurity apps based on their needs and budget, CSA published a list of recommended cybersecurity apps. This list has been available since September 2023 and has been publicised through various Government outreach initiatives. For example, CSA works through SG Digital Office's Digital Ambassadors to share the list with seniors at community centres and digital community hubs and to install cybersecurity apps on their mobile devices upon request. CSA has received positive feedback from members of public that they found the list useful.
CSA has also been working with industry players to better protect Singaporeans and their mobile devices from potential malware infections. For example, Google and CSA launched a pilot programme in February 2024, in which Google Play Protect will block the installation of apps that are likely to be malicious, as an added layer of protection for Android mobile users. Last year, CSA also worked with our major retail banks to implement anti-malware security measures on their banking apps to better protect their customers against malware-enabled scams.
As malicious actors' malware techniques are constantly evolving, CSA's efforts must be complemented by users' vigilance. They should proactively install cybersecurity apps in their personal devices and adopt good cyber hygiene practices, such as not downloading apps or files from unknown persons or entities.