Southeast Asia reiterates its commitment to cooperation amid growing cyber threats in the AI ​​era

Southeast Asian countries have reiterated the need for multilateral cooperation cooperate to strengthen cyber defense in the regionnow includes a physics CERTIFIED (Computer Emergency Response Team) in Singapore.

CERT in the ASEAN region has been officially established debut Wednesday, during the 9th ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cyber ​​Security, held in conjunction with Singapore International Electronics Week 2024. The ministerial conference brings together telecommunications and cybersecurity ministers from 10 countries member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The new physical CERT will be funded and hosted for 10 years in Singapore – the current chair of the ASEAN Digital Ministerial Conference. According to the Cyber ​​Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), regional CERT’s operating costs are expected to reach $10.1 million this decade.

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ONE Virtual ASEAN CERT was launched in October 2022, acting as a platform for analysts and incident responders from across member states.

Since then, Singapore has worked with ASEAN member states to establish an operational framework that clearly outlines the purpose and mechanism of the regional CERT. Among its objectives, the facility will further promote information sharing among ASEAN members on cyber threats and online fraud.

Regional CERT operates across eight key functions, including developing and maintaining a network of contacts of cybersecurity experts and organizations in the region, and supporting national CERT capacity building of Member States and exchange best practices.

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It also serves as a dedicated space for direct activities, such as cyber exercises and CERT-CERT cyber capacity building programs, CSA said.

“The cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, with ransomware attacks and other cybercriminal activities among the challenges attracting attention in the region,” speak Minister of Information for Digital Development Josephine Teo.

“New groups like RansomHub and Brain Cipher have exploded in popularity by engaging in ‘big game hunting,’” said Teo, who is also the Minister for Smart Nation and Cyber ​​Security. Successfully targeted and penetrated high-profile victims.” . “Government organizations and services are highly valued targets because these groups have the potential to gain significant fame and payouts due to their widespread impact on the public.”

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ASEAN also faces such challenges, she added, noting that the region’s digital economy is projected to grow from $300 million to $1 trillion by 2030. It also has a total population of nearly 700 million people, including a significant proportion of young, educated, online adults. -savvy individuals and a growing middle class, she said.

Additionally, with the rapid adoption of the latest technologies, ASEAN member states must manage a significantly expanded attack surface area. “I am confident that if we stand together, we will be able to strengthen our cyber defenses and protect our digital future,” Teo said.

In this aspect, the group has officially provided support ASEAN standards The implementation checklist she introduces is the first of its kind.

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“[This] builds on broader efforts by the United Nations (UN) to implement voluntary non-binding standards on responsible State behavior in the use of ICT,” Teo said. “It identifies practical steps that relevant government agencies can consider when implementing the standard and building corresponding capacity.” Operations can be adjusted to meet standards.”

CSA and the United Nations Office for Disarmament have launched the Standards Implementation Checklist initiative; comply with ASEAN’s commitment to the principle of compliance with 11 codes of responsible national conduct in cyberspace. This is from the 2015 consensus report of the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts.

Actionable action items for each rule are outlined across five pillars: policy, operations, technical, legal and diplomatic.

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No country can tackle cybersecurity challenges alone, Teo said. Cyber ​​threats [are] borderless, [and] International cooperation is needed in [the] working to build a trustworthy cyberspace,” she said. “Cyber ​​diplomacy is essential, especially in such difficult times,” she added.

In his speech at the conference, Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo also emphasized the importance of building trust not only in the devices users hold but also in the ecosystem that includes including platforms, applications and services.

“Whenever you send a message on WhatsApp, book a Grab ride or add to cart on Shopee, you trust a complex web of technology, expecting it to operate seamlessly and securely,” said Gobind. safety, protecting you from risks at every step.”

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“The recent Crowdstrike outage is a textbook example of how easily this trust can be lost. A single piece of code took down hospital networks, banks and airlines worldwide — and this by a non-malicious actor. Now imagine what so malicious threat actors can do with an increasingly open attack surface wide, as the world’s digital footprint grows,” he said.

To build a trusted digital world, he called for strengthening standards to make devices and applications more secure. For example, valid digital certificates ensure the security and reliability of digital interactions, he said.

Potential risks from artificial intelligence (AI) and Innovative AI (AI genes) also need to be addressed.

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Gobind noted that, in November, Malaysia will establish a National AI Office, which will develop the necessary safeguards and frameworks to promote the adoption of sustainable and ethical AI practices.

“These laws and regulations form the foundation of digital trust in Malaysia, but data protection and security is not an end in itself,” he said, adding that data Data needs to be secured to promote data usage.

To facilitate this, his Ministry will introduce a Data Sharing Bill to create a legal framework for public sector data sharing, he revealed.

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The Malaysian government plans to continue connecting the various efforts in a new body called the Digital Trust and Safety Commission, which will be tasked with managing trust, security and digital data governance. domestic digital.

With Malaysia also set to assume the ASEAN chairmanship next year, Gobind reiterated the region’s “shared purpose” of building a trusted digital ecosystem that benefits all member states. pellets.