Singapore is planning to cut off Web access for public servants as a defence against potential cyber attack — a move closely watched by critics who say it marks a retreat for a technologically advanced city-state that has trademarked the term “smart nation.”

Some security experts say the policy, due to be in place by May, risks damaging productivity among civil servants and those working at more than four dozen statutory boards, and cutting them off from the people they serve. It may only raise slightly the defensive walls against cyber attack, they say.

Ben Desjardins, director of security solutions at network security firm Radware, called it “one of the more extreme measures I can recall by a large public organization to combat cyber security risks.” Stephen Dane, a Hong Kong-based managing director at networking company Cisco Systems, said it was “a most unusual situation” and Ramki Thurimella, chair of the computer science department at the University of Denver, called it both “unprecedented” and “a little excessive.”

But other cyber security companies said that with the kind of threats governments face today, Singapore had little choice but to restrict Internet access.

FireEye, a cyber security company, found that organizations in Southeast Asia were 80 percent more likely than the global average to be hit by an advanced cyber attack.

Singapore officials said no particular attack triggered the decision but noted a breach of one ministry in 2015. David Koh, chief executive of the newly formed Cyber Security Agency, said officials realized there was too much data to secure and the threat “is too real.”

Public servants would still be able to surf the Web but only on separate personal or agency-issued devices.

Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said it had worked with agencies on managing the changes “to ensure a smooth transition” and was “exploring innovative work solutions to ensure work processes remain efficient.”

新加坡计划切断公务员的网络连接以防止潜在网络攻击。新加坡是一个科技发达的城市国家， 拥有“智慧国

家”之称。批评人士都在密切关注此举，他们认为这对新加坡来说是一种退步。

该计划预计在明年5月实施，一些安全专家认为该政策可能会降低公务员和四十多个法定机构工作人员的效率，并且将他们与服务对象隔离开来。专家说，对于网络攻击来说，此举只是建了一道微不足道的防御墙。

瑞得韦尔网络安全公司安全解决方案部门主管本•德雅尔丹称此举是他“见过的大型公共组织为对抗网络安全问题而采取的极端手段之一。”思科系统驻香港总经理斯蒂芬•戴恩认为这是“非常少见的情况”。丹佛大学计算机科学教授拉姆基•土瑞梅拉也称此举“前所未

有、有点过分”。

但是也有网络安全公司认为鉴于目前各国政府面临的威胁，新加坡除了限制网络使用别无选择。

网络安全企业火眼公司发现，东南亚的组织机构遭遇高级网络攻击的概率比全球平均要高80%。

新加坡官员称该决定并非由特定攻击事件导致，但他提到了2015年一次政府部门信息泄露事件。大卫•戈是新成立的网络安全机构的负责人。他说政府官员意识到有太多的数据需要保护而威胁也“真实存在”。

公务员们还是可以浏览网页，不过只能用自己的电脑或机构分发的设备。

新加坡资讯通信发展管理局表示他们已经在与一些机构合作来应对这些变化“以确保平稳过渡”。他们也在“探索新的解决方法，保证工作流程仍然高效。”(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【过分的】guòfèn de excessive going beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree

    【引发】yǐnfā trigger initiate or precipitate (a chain of events, scientific reaction, psychological process, etc.)