ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Summit Calls for Public-Private Collaboration Against Rising Cyber Threats

Siem Reap – Cybersecurity experts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan convened on Wednesday to advocate for enhanced public-private partnerships to safeguard the region’s Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) and protect citizens’ personal data. The call was made during the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Technical Working Group meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, amid escalating territorial disputes and a surge in sophisticated cyber-attacks targeting both government and private sector entities in the ASEAN region.

According to Philippines News Agency, president of the Philippine Computer Emergency Response Team (PH-CERT), a comprehensive strategy involving ASEAN and Japanese leaders, as well as other regional stakeholders, is essential to counteract the cyber threats facing Asia. Averia emphasized the need for a “whole-of-Asia and whole-of-society approach” to effectively combat these challenges. He reported that all countries present at the summit acknowledged ongoing attacks on their digital and critical infrastructures by both international and local cyber actors.

Sam Jacoba, founding president of the National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines (NADPOP), highlighted the necessity of establishing concrete cybersecurity measures, such as an Information Exchange Network. This network would function similarly to a cyber-weather station, disseminating verified threat alerts throughout the region. Jacoba noted the urgency felt by ASEAN countries to unify and strengthen their cybersecurity frameworks in response to these shared threats.

The meeting also discussed recent successful defenses against cyber-attacks in the Philippines, including a series of “brute force” attacks against government mailboxes and websites, detailed by Jeffery Ian Dy, Undersecretary for Cybersecurity at the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). These incidents underscored the ongoing vulnerability of digital assets and the critical need for regional cooperation and robust cybersecurity defenses.