Amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act to Take Effect from 1 June 2017

1.     The amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act (CMCA), which were passed in Parliament on 3 April 2017, will take effect from 1 June 2017.

2.     These amendments will tackle the increasing scale and transnational nature of cybercrime, as well as the evolving tactics of cybercriminals.

3.     With the amendments coming into force, it will now be an offence:

a) For persons to obtain or deal in personal information obtained illegally from a computer (e.g. hacking) for illegitimate purposes;

b) For persons to obtain hacking tools to commit or facilitate the commission of a computer offence, as well as deal in hacking tools, intending it to be used for committing or facilitating the commission of a computer offence; and

c) For persons to commit criminal acts while overseas, against a computer located overseas, if the act causes or creates a significant risk of serious harm in Singapore.

For more information, please refer to:

Press Release for First Reading of the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill

Second Reading Speech on the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill

Wrap Up Speech on the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill