Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Impact of the Pegasus, a Sophisticated Cyber Surveillance Tool, on the National Security of Singapore, by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the impact of the Pegasus, a sophisticated cyber surveillance tool, that has been reportedly used against journalists, government leaders, politicians, academics, rights campaigners and others in about 50 countries including Singapore, on the national security of Singapore; and (b) what steps are being taken to deal with the threat posed by Pegasus.

Answer:

1.    The threat of electronic surveillance by hostile actors, including through tools like Pegasus, is not new. Our security agencies continually invest resources to guard against such threats to our systems.

2.    At the individual level, to mitigate the risk of spyware and other malware, we should adopt good cyber hygiene practices, such as avoiding untrustworthy websites and not opening suspicious attachments.