The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the new body will "provide dedicated and centralised oversight of national cyber security functions".
Technology law expert Bryan Tan of Pinsent Masons MPillay, the Singapore joint venture partner of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said cyber security is "a worldwide concern which is expanding exponentially".
"After enacting legislation and specific rules in relation to telecoms services, this is the latest development to widen coordination of cyber security efforts to the financial, utilities and healthcare sectors," Tan said. "Being one of the most connected countries in the world, this concern is not misplaced."
The CSA will be set up under the auspices of the PMO and be headed by Singapore's current minister for communications and information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim who will take on the role of minister responsible for cyber security.
The new agency will have 60 staff when it becomes operational and take on tasks fulfilled by Singapore's Infocomm Technology Security Authority and Computer Emergency Response Team, according to a report by the Strait Times.
"The CSA will consolidate and build upon the government’s cyber security capabilities, including those currently residing in [the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Infocomm Development Authority] and focus on national cyber security," the PMO said in a statement. "These include strategy and policy development, cyber security operations, industry development and outreach. It will also work closely with the private sector to develop Singapore’s cyber security eco-system."
