SINGAPORE — Cyberattacks are a danger to the Republic and something that the Government takes “very seriously”, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today (Nov 6).

“Our IT network, the Internet, our communications have become an essential part of our business and our lives now. If your network is down, you can’t connect, you can’t work, you can’t keep in touch with what’s happening in the world, with what’s happening whether if it’s in your business, your family, or in Singapore,” said Mr Lee.

“And, therefore, when somebody threatens to do harm to it … we take that very seriously and we will spare no effort to try and track down the culprits and if we can find him, we will bring him to justice and he will be dealt with severely. It has to be,” he said, speaking to reporters at the sidelines of Exercise Highcrest 2013.

In his first comments on “The Messiah” hacker who threatened “war” on the Singapore Government in a YouTube video last week, Mr Lee said: “It’s not just anything goes and you’re anonymous and therefore there’s no responsibility. You may think you’re anonymous — we will make the extra effort to find out who you are.”

He also said that the Government has taken steps to harden its system from vulnerabilities — although IT systems are complicated and cannot be entirely impenetrable — and will track down anyone who attacks it on the cyber front and “bring him back to justice”.