Singtel and cybersecurity training provider, DART, have on Wednesday launched the Advanced Persistent Threat Detection and Response Program, to strengthen cyber resilience across enterprises, including Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) Owners.
The program aims to equip cybersecurity professionals responsible for protecting essential services with practical skills to detect, investigate and respond to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, such as APTs, Singtel said in a statement.
Singapore’s Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) spans 11 sectors, providing essential services to the nation. A cyberattack on these systems could disrupt the delivery of essential services, with potentially serious consequences for Singapore’s economy and society.
It is noted that the growing sophistication of cyber threats has made strengthening these defenses increasingly urgent.
According to the CSA, Singapore experienced a four-fold increase in APT attacks between 2021 and 2024.
In 2025, Singapore also revealed that its CII had been targeted by APT actor UNC3886, underscoring the importance of strengthening cybersecurity capabilities to safeguard its essential services.
Developed by Singtel and DART, the five-day programme will focus on strengthening the capabilities of cybersecurity practitioners across enterprises, including those from CII sectors, while supporting CII Owners in developing competencies relevant to the updated Cybersecurity Code of Practice (CCoP).
Through hands-on training, participants will learn to identify, investigate and respond to APTs, AI-enabled attacks and other emerging threats targeting both IT and OT environments.
The program complements the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore’s (CSA) broader efforts to strengthen CII owners’ cybersecurity capabilities and resilience through targeted training and competency development.
“As a CII operator ourselves, we understand first-hand the responsibility of protecting the essential services that people and businesses depend on every day. With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated, no organization can tackle these challenges alone. Strengthening Singapore’s cyber resilience requires a collective effort, with organizations sharing expertise, building capabilities and learning from one another,
“Through this program, we aim to contribute our experience and help equip more cybersecurity professionals with the skills to protect our critical infrastructure and keep Singapore safe and resilient,” said Ng Tian Chong, Chief Executive Officer, Singtel Singapore.
Ong Kok Wee, Assistant Chief Executive, Policy and Corporate Development, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), said skilled cybersecurity professionals are at the heart of strong cyber defenses.
“Equipping them with the capabilities to detect and respond effectively to sophisticated threats, including Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and AI-enabled threats, is critical to strengthening Singapore’s cyber resilience,
“Beyond technical knowledge, hands-on training is essential to build the practical capabilities needed to tackle real-world threats. We welcome initiatives such as this program by Singtel and DART, which complement CSA’s efforts to strengthen the cyber resilience of our CIIs,” he added.
Omry Hayon, Vice President of Professional Services, DART Consulting and Training said as cyber threats become more sophisticated, the people protecting our critical infrastructure need more than theoretical knowledge.
“They need practical experience responding to realistic attacks and making decisions under pressure. Through this program, we want to give cybersecurity practitioners the opportunity to build and test those capabilities in hands-on environments, so they are better prepared to detect, respond to and recover from real-world threats,” he added.
As the appointed SkillsFuture Queen Bee for cybersecurity, Singtel said it is leading the efforts to strengthen industry capabilities and develop a skilled cybersecurity workforce.
Under this program it said the firm brings its training expertise and infrastructure, including a customized OT environment that allows participants to practice responding to cyber threats in realistic settings.
CSA has worked with Singtel and DART to review and provide inputs to the training curriculum to ensure that the program is relevant to the cybersecurity capability needs of Singapore’s CII sectors, while DART will draw on its operational cybersecurity experience to develop hands-on practical exercises and cyber range that are designed to equip participants with real-world threat detection and response skills.
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