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Hackers 101, as mid-career S’porean goes back to school

SINGAPORE — Mr Alvin Koh, 56, is a newcomer to the world of cybersecurity. While the former systems engineer, who has no formal certification in cybersecurity, may not fit the typical image of a hacker, he is putting all his passion and enthusiasm into his new career.

Cybersecurity consultant Alvin Koh. Photo: Ernest Chua/TODAY

Cybersecurity consultant Alvin Koh. Photo: Ernest Chua/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Mr Alvin Koh, 56, is a newcomer to the world of cybersecurity. While the former systems engineer, who has no formal certification in cybersecurity, may not fit the typical image of a hacker, he is putting all his passion and enthusiasm into his new career.

In 2016, Mr Koh, a veteran of 17 years, found himself out of a job for three months after a sudden retrenchment. It came as a shock as he had thought that providing tech support was a “secure job”.

With free time on his hands, he decided to try something new. With help from an online course and surfing the Internet, he began exploring penetration testing of IT systems for vulnerabilities, and finding ways to exploit them.

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It was only after meeting a senior executive from ST Electronics (Info-Security) at a career fair that he eventually landed a job there as a white hat hacker and security consultant. His job involves testing information and communications technology (ICT) systems for security loopholes, and he helps clients reduce the risks of cyberattacks.

The TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA)’s programme for Cybersecurity Associates and Technologists, as well as on-the-job training, were crucial in helping Mr Koh acquire his new skills.

Launched in 2016, TeSA is aimed at providing support for workers, particularly those in the ICT profession, and helping them manage their career transitions.

In his Budget speech delivered in Parliament on Monday (Feb 19), Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat named Mr Koh as an example of a worker who had benefited from TeSA.

With digital technologies playing an increasingly important role in Singapore’s economy and its transformation, Mr Heng revealed on Monday that an additional S$145 million will be set aside for TeSA over the next three years.

TeSA will be expanded to new sectors such as manufacturing and professional services, and to support more people as they learn new digital skills such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

Industry players also play a “big role” in shaping and developing the capabilities of their employees’, said Mr Heng, as he cited semiconductor manufacturer Infineon as a firm that takes training “very seriously” so that staff can acquire the relevant skills and keep pace with new technologies.

For a newcomer like Mr Koh, he admitted that he had some reservations when he first started, as he was worried about whether he could “even catch up” at his age, and that there was a lot of “second guessing” in this unfamiliar new role. Unlike his previous job which involved “checking if a system was running or not”, this cybersecurity job requires him to “exercise his creativity” to figure out how to stop hackers from trying to game the system. He said that hackers could try to take advantage of a flaw in coding when users upload photos through a web application, and then wreak havoc by uploading malicious code or gaining full access to the Windows system.

He said: “In a way, you have (to look at it from an) attacker’s mindset where it’s about the number of weaknesses you can find to take advantage. Hackers are always a few steps ahead and you have to catch up.”

“Every day is fun and challenging and there are many different things to learn.”

Production operator Esah Bte Md Isa, 61, is also an example of an employee who has benefited from training. Madam Esah, who has worked at Infineon Technologies for the last 42 years and is one of their longest serving staff, had started out doing manual work on the firm’s assembly line. She said it was “no trouble at all” attending training to learn how to operate various types of machines as Infineon upgraded its production processes.

Production operator Esah Bte Md Isa, 61, has worked at Infineon Technologies for the last 42 years and is one of their longest serving staff. She started out doing manual work on the firm’s assembly line. Photo: Najeer Yusof/TODAY

Such automation has made her job easier and less backbreaking, as compared to the tedious task of having to transfer the chips one by one by previously, she said.

Manager Mohd Tahar bin Yusof, 50, said that Mdm Esah is able to juggle “multiple skillsets”, unlike other staff who might only know how to operate one type of machine. This makes it easier to deploy her for different tasks, especially when they need an extra pair of hands for overtime work.

When asked what motivated her to adopt a positive attitude towards learning, Madam Esah said it was about “liking the people and the environment”.

She added: “I’m happy (that) I can do new things and contribute (to the company).”

For Mr Koh, it was about adopting a mindset change towards learning new skills.

He told TODAY: “(People who are mid-career switchers) have to take it as an opportunity to dare to try something new and challenge themselves, instead of hanging on to the past. To (people), I always say that my work is my hobby.”

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