Singapore: MDDI announces intent to introduce obligations for critical information infrastructure owners to report APT attacks

In brief

On 29 July 2025, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) announced that new cybersecurity reporting obligations will take effect later this year. Owners of critical information infrastructure (CII) will be required to inform the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) of any cybersecurity incidents suspected to be caused by an advanced persistent threat (APT).

These measures are intended to flow from amendments to the Cybersecurity Act that were introduced last year to strengthen incident reporting requirements.


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In more detail

APTs focus on using sophisticated techniques and tools to avoid detection and sustain long-term access to critical networks.

In July 2025, the Coordinating Minister for National Security announced that Singapore was dealing with an APT attack on its critical infrastructure. Singapore also saw a four-fold increase in APT activity from 2021 to 2024.

Amid this heightened state of alert, and following the previous amendments to the Cybersecurity Act to strengthen incident reporting requirements (see our client alerts from May 2024, April 2024 and March 2024 for more details), MDDI announced its intent to introduce new requirements for CII owners to notify CSA of cybersecurity incidents that they suspect may have been caused by an APT.

The proposed regulations are intended to help identify APT activity early and allow CSA, in coordination with other government agencies, to respond swiftly when defending CII owners from these threats

Key takeaways

The rise in sophisticated cybersecurity attacks, fueled by escalating geopolitical tensions, has made it clear that organizations should not face these threats alone. The severity and complexity of such attacks demand a coordinated response. The amended reporting requirements underscore the importance of collaboration between governments and businesses, aligning with international best practices to strengthen collective cybersecurity resilience.

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