ASEAN countries to combine on cybersecurity

The 10 member countries of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) group plan to cooperate closely in a bid to address growing problems of online security, government officials said Friday.

Each country will set up its own national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) by 2005 and there will be a common framework for sharing cybersecurity threat and vulnerability assessment information, according to a joint statement released at the third ASEAN telecommunications and information technology ministers’ meeting in Singapore.

“We need to protect our information and communications networks from intentional harm and degradation,” said Singapore’s prime minister Goh Chok Tong. “ASEAN should develop a common and sustained approach to the security of our telecommunications and computer networks, so that we can enjoy the fruits of a fully connected region.”

Member countries will share expertise and information to help develop cybersecurity policies and exchange real-time information on cybersecurity issues, ministers said in the statement. This will lead to a common ASEAN-wide CERT supporting the efforts of the national bodies, officials have said.

“Hackers and computer viruses can flood network connections, steal or tamper with information, and disrupt essential services,” Goh said. “We should continue to focus on providing our people access to a pervasive and reliable information and communications infrastructure.”

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have already set up national CERTs, and the Philippines plans to follow suit later this year, officials have said.

ASEAN’s initiative to promote e-commerce and an online business environment, known as e-ASEAN, has been in effect for four years, but has been hampered by the wide disparity in levels of IT and telecommunications development between member nations. Singapore is one of the world’s most Internet-aware countries, while Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia have extremely limited infrastructure.

Singapore has 480 Internet hosts per 10,000 people, Malaysia 31 hosts and Thailand 11 hosts, while Vietnam has 0.06 hosts and Laos and Myanmar effectively none, according to the official ASEANconnect Web site.

The 10 countries in ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.