ASEAN fosters cooperation to combat cyber threats

ASEAN ministers at the conference (Photo: opengoveasia.com)

Singapore (VNA) – ASEAN ministers have agreed on the need to intensify intra-bloc cooperation and information sharing to timely address cyber attacks, contributing to ensuring wide information connection in the region. 

Addressing the on-going ASEAN ministerial conference on cyber security in Singapore, participants stressed the necessity to map out a master strategy to turn the group into a digital economy by 2020. 

In his opening speech on October 10, Singaporean Minister of Information and Communications Yaacob Ibrahim highlighted the significance of cyber security for infrastructure and socio-economic development in regional countries. 

Ensuring cyber security requires not only effort of each country but also their close links in sharing information and experience, he said, adding that ASEAN nations need to work closely in building a united legal system and a set of common standards concerning the domain, and enhance joint drills on addressing the cyber security problems as well. 

Yaacob said his country will fund 10 million SGD (over 7.2 million USD) to carry out the ASEAN Cyber Capacity Programme (ACCP) and the Cyber Green Initiative , which are expected to support ASEAN countries to raise public awareness of cyber security and take specific measures to deal with related risks. 

Singapore also called for tighter links within the bloc in enforcing international law to fight cyber attack-related crimes. 
Director of the Ministry of Information and Communications’ Department of Information Security Nguyen Thanh Hai spoke highly of the role played by the ASEAN Secretariat in promoting development of regional and global cyberspaces. 

Representatives from Vietnam and other ASEAN nations shared their experience in building legal regulations concerning information safety and raising awareness of the Government’s agencies, business communities and people of the issue. 

ASEAN General Secretary Le Luong Minh pledged to regularly maintain intra-group forums and dialogues concerning cyber security and those between the bloc with its partners, and organise joint exercises in the coming time, in order to effectively combat increasing cyber attacks. 

The first event of this kind, the three-day conference was arranged under Singapore’s initiative in the context of spectrum cyber threats worldwide.-VNA