GE2025: Candidates urged to guard against foreign interference, cybersecurity threats

CYBERSECURITY RISKS

The agencies also warned of cybersecurity risks ahead of the General Election on May 3.

Instances of malicious cyber activity – such as disruption of services, data theft, manipulation and misinformation, and social engineering – have been reported during the elections of other countries.

This affected their electorates’ confidence in the election processes, they said.

Singapore, as a highly digitally connected nation, must guard against attempts to disrupt the election processes or cast doubts on the integrity of the General Election, the agencies added.

Preventive measures to mitigate cybersecurity risks include establishing strict access control and remote access privileges to digital assets, enforcing strong password management and performing regular software updates to protect campaign devices from known vulnerabilities.

Candidates should also raise cybersecurity awareness among campaign staff and volunteers, and develop cybersecurity monitoring and incident response capabilities.

“Candidates play an important role in safeguarding the integrity of the election,” the agencies said.

“They are advised to stay vigilant by monitoring their platforms for suspicious activities and not re-share posts of suspicious origin.”

Candidates are urged to make a police report immediately and keep the ELD informed if they detect or suspect foreign interference in the election, or that their accounts or systems have been compromised or misused.