ASEAN strengthens cooperation in combating cyber threats

The event was also attended by ministers and senior officials from five dialogue partners of ASEAN, namely the US, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and China.

The Vietnamese delegation to the conference was led by Minister of Public Security To Lam.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Singaporean Minister of Information and Communication Yaacob Ibrahim highlighted the increasingly complex cyber threats.

Cyber threats affect every facet of social lives, especially in the digital era, he said, adding that cyber attacks have also been responsible for significant economic losses, for example, ransom wares like GoldenEye disrupted companies' operations.

He underlined the need for cooperation in ASEAN to address cybersecurity challenges to reap the full benefits of the future digital economy. 

Participants agreed on the importance of enhancing coordination to ensure that ASEAN’s cybersecurity efforts are implemented across various platforms to counter increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

ASEAN member states also expressed their support for developing norms guiding the use of ICTs in the bloc in a responsible manner, affirming that such norms will help enhance trust among member countries and build confidence in harnessing full potential of cyberspace to bring about greater economic prosperity.

The ASEAN digital economy can grow US$200 billion in the next ten years, of which e-commerce accounts for nearly US$90 billion, according to Singaporean experts.

However, infrastructure and measures to ensure cybersecurity in ASEAN member nations remain poor. Therefore, the digital economy becomes vulnerable to cyber attacks.