Spotlight: ASEAN cyber security policies – Join the discussion
With the revelation of an immense and active US-conducted global surveillance network made by former CIA employee Edward Snowden, the haunting — taintedly Orwellian — drama of the virtual world got a whole lot realer. For China, having Snowden camped in Hong Kong may bring about a diplomatic headache, but seeing the US chagrined by its own hypocrisy can be as sweet as it is sour.
China has almost gotten acclimated to being the recipient of barbed impositions over its spying in cyberspace. With the US apparently operating in the same realm of unabashed espionage, China has just as much right to defend its own cyber security policies – as well as everyone else.
In the days following the blanket media coverage of the self-avowed Snowden’s flight, Thailand and the Philippines have scrambled to launch internet security programmes, while a Malaysian group has called for the dissemination of the country’s cyber crime initiatives.
On June 11, the Thai government officially launched a five-year programme to teach state agencies how to identify and respond to suspected criminal activity on the web. Though the launch comes just after Snowden, it is well founded in other ways as well: From January to May 2013, Thailand recorded 1,475 random intrusions into state-run databases and websites. During the same period, there were also 750 malware intrusions and 750 phishing efforts, according to the Electronic Transactions Development Agency.
Following Thailand, on June 12 the Philippines announced that an additional layer of security using digital certificates and dual encryption keys would be built into the government’s “online assets,” such as the E-Government Master Plan and iGovPhil Project. The reason for such action, according to the Department of Science and Technology, was due to the continued threat of hackers.
Before the international surveillance network revealed by Snowden was made public, Indonesia began its own cyber defense planning. The Indonesian defense ministry is now planning to train a “cyber army” to combat hackers that could endanger the state following data that showed Indonesian government sites were the target of more than 36 million attacks over the past three years.
Want to discuss this hot topic more?
Join Inside Investor’s editorial team for a live chat on twitter by mentioning @insideinvestor and using the hashtag #investvine. The chat will begin on Friday 21 at 3pm Malaysia time (GMT +8)
Topics will include:
- Are cyber attacks the proxy for actual war?
- How much will these events compel you to curtail your posting of private information online?
- How effective are additional security layers and for how long?
- Could cyber war be a proxy for the South China Sea dispute?
With the revelation of an immense and active US-conducted global surveillance network made by former CIA employee Edward Snowden, the haunting -- taintedly Orwellian -- drama of the virtual world got a whole lot realer. For China, having Snowden camped in Hong Kong may bring about a diplomatic headache, but seeing the US chagrined by its own hypocrisy can be as sweet as it is sour. China has almost gotten acclimated to being the recipient of barbed impositions over its spying in cyberspace. With the US apparently operating in the same realm of unabashed espionage, China has just as much...
With the revelation of an immense and active US-conducted global surveillance network made by former CIA employee Edward Snowden, the haunting — taintedly Orwellian — drama of the virtual world got a whole lot realer. For China, having Snowden camped in Hong Kong may bring about a diplomatic headache, but seeing the US chagrined by its own hypocrisy can be as sweet as it is sour.
China has almost gotten acclimated to being the recipient of barbed impositions over its spying in cyberspace. With the US apparently operating in the same realm of unabashed espionage, China has just as much right to defend its own cyber security policies – as well as everyone else.
In the days following the blanket media coverage of the self-avowed Snowden’s flight, Thailand and the Philippines have scrambled to launch internet security programmes, while a Malaysian group has called for the dissemination of the country’s cyber crime initiatives.
On June 11, the Thai government officially launched a five-year programme to teach state agencies how to identify and respond to suspected criminal activity on the web. Though the launch comes just after Snowden, it is well founded in other ways as well: From January to May 2013, Thailand recorded 1,475 random intrusions into state-run databases and websites. During the same period, there were also 750 malware intrusions and 750 phishing efforts, according to the Electronic Transactions Development Agency.
Following Thailand, on June 12 the Philippines announced that an additional layer of security using digital certificates and dual encryption keys would be built into the government’s “online assets,” such as the E-Government Master Plan and iGovPhil Project. The reason for such action, according to the Department of Science and Technology, was due to the continued threat of hackers.
Before the international surveillance network revealed by Snowden was made public, Indonesia began its own cyber defense planning. The Indonesian defense ministry is now planning to train a “cyber army” to combat hackers that could endanger the state following data that showed Indonesian government sites were the target of more than 36 million attacks over the past three years.
Want to discuss this hot topic more?
Join Inside Investor’s editorial team for a live chat on twitter by mentioning @insideinvestor and using the hashtag #investvine. The chat will begin on Friday 21 at 3pm Malaysia time (GMT +8)
Topics will include:
- Are cyber attacks the proxy for actual war?
- How much will these events compel you to curtail your posting of private information online?
- How effective are additional security layers and for how long?
- Could cyber war be a proxy for the South China Sea dispute?
