SINGAPORE – Singapore is going to host and fund the ASEAN Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), an initiative dedicated in strengthening cybersecurity within the region, for 10 years.
Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity, announced the launch of the physical facility yesterday, October 16, 2024, during the ninth ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity (AMCC) in the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) 2024.
“…The ASEAN Regional CERT represents a concrete step in ASEAN’s efforts towards regional capacity building and sharing of best practices,” Teo said.
Running the ASEAN Regional CERT will cost 10.1 million dollars, with Malaysia being the first to spearhead the operations of the facility.
“This rule will be rotating annually. I am sure, us, fellow states would fully render our support to Malaysia as the first rotating overall coordinator of the ASEAN regional CERT,” Teo said.
Moreover, the facility will be located with the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Center for Excellence. The space will be dedicated to holding cyber exercises, workshops, and CERT cyber capacity-building programs.
The ASEAN-Regional CERT has eight functions: coordinate and share information between ASEAN member states (AMS), curate an ASEAN point of contact network of cybersecurity experts and entities, host ASEAN cybersecurity meetings and trainings, conduct regional cybersecurity exercises, collaborate with other international and regional organizations, make partnerships within the industry and academia, support AMS cyber capacity building, support cybersecurity campaigns with other ASEAN sectoral bodies.
“I am confident that this effort will inspire new areas for collaboration,” said the Singaporean minister for Digital Development and Information.
Among the ASEAN country representatives who lead the launching was undersecretary Jeffrey Dy of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
In an exclusive interview with the DICT undersecretary, Dy said that coordination in assessing the attempts against government systems has become easier.
“The sharing of information makes response faster. So, if something happens within our neighbors, then we are informed. We can bolster our defenses before the attack comes to us,” He said.
Moreover, Dy shared that the Philippines will also be sending people to join the CERT from the country’s own national computer response team.
Led by ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, seven other countries were also present in the launch, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The SICW 2024 gathered policymakers, thought leaders, and cybersecrutiy experts, with around 12,000 delegates from 80 countries attending the event.
