ETDA inaugurates AJCCBC for cybersecurity personnel development, expecting three training courses can handle cyberthreats.

                ASEAN trusts in Thailand’s potential, assigning MDES to host ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre (AJCCBC). ETDA leads the project, with 3 trainings to strengthen cybercrew.

Dr Pichet Durongkaveroj, the Minister for Digital Economy and Society, revealed after chairing the inauguration of the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre (AJCCBC) that the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), on behalf of Thailand, had been designated as the constituent of the AJCCBC by the assembly of the ASEAN-Japan Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (TELMIN+Japan) held in Cambodia last year. The Ministry allotted the operation to the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (Public Organization) or ETDA, considering that ETDA is constantly experienced in cybersecurity personnel development. The AJCCBC is sponsored by Japan, both technically and monetarily, ensuring efficient training for the ASEAN member states.

In the meantime, ASEAN is highly emphasizing cybersecurity, since “Information Security and Assurance” has evidently been specified as one of the eight strategic thrusts in the ASEAN ICT Masterplan 2020, which promotes collaboration among CERTs, data governance, and identification and protection of Critical Information Infrastructures. Furthermore, ASEAN has concluded the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy, indicating international co-operation within ASEAN to enhance cybersecurity capacity, as well as collaboration with dialogue partners and other stakeholders.

“Likewise, Japan prioritizes cybersecurity, by facilitating the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Policy Meeting, a collaborative platform for ASEAN and Japan,” reported Dr Durongkaveroj. “Throughout eleven years, the Meeting has yielded numerous significant synergic achievements such as CIIP Guideline production, and regular Cyber Exercises and Table Top Exercises on the ASEAN-Japan level, as well as cyberthreat information exchange and mutual public relations in order to raise awareness of cybersecurity.”

Moreover, Japan has consistently demonstrated that cybersecurity personnel development is of great importance by providing constant trainings, including techniques, standards, and policy. Japan spent one year on a feasibility study of founding the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre and ASEAN has consequently responded in favor of Japan by designating Thailand as the location of this Centre at the ASEAN-Japan Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (TELMIN+Japan) on December 1^st, 2017 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

While ASEAN ICT Masterplan 2020 is reaching the ultimate phase, ASEAN ought to progress quickly and wisely from next year onward. This huge leap of ASEAN Digital Agility consists of five aspects:

1. Smart City
2. Connectivity & Mobility
3. Harmonization & Alignment
4. Manpower & Society
5. Cybersecurity

The AJCCBC will become the infrastructure for enhancing ASEAN’s cybersecurity capacity and the epitome of invincible interrelationships between Japan and ASEAN.

Surangkana Wayuparb, Executive Director and CEO of ETDA, stated that the AJCCBC arranged the first training program scheduled from September 24^th-28^th, 2018, in which the ten ASEAN member states including Thailand are vastly interested in participating.

In the initial stage, participants will develop skills via three courses:

1. Cyber Defense Exercise with Recurrence (CYDER), a successful course in Japan currently utilized by the Government of Japan for more than five years to educate more than 5000 cybersecurity trainees from over 1500 organizations nation-wide
2. Digital Forensics, involving both fundamentals and hands-on of digital evidence investigation
3. Malware Analysis, concerning various categories of the latest and future malware

These curricula are updated annually to encompass current cyberthreats and are suitable for all IT staff members who are required to resolve and prevent cyberattacks.

“Not only Thailand but every ASEAN Member State is experiencing more sophisticated cyberthreats, whereas the cybersecurity personnel is yet insufficient,” Mrs Wayuparb described. “In the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre Training Preparation and ASEAN’s Critical Information Infrastructure Workshop recently held by ETDA on August 29^th-30^th, the attendees were enthusing over the aforementioned courses, and suggested that management and policy making be embedded in the program. The assembly further discussed such diverse collaborations as cyberthreat information exchange and an optimal joint information management scheme.”

In addition, another topic of which the ASEAN member states and Thailand are aware is Critical Information Infrastructure (CII). At present, certain members are in the process of identifying their own CIIs. ETDA, in the name of Thailand, has also been confided by ASEAN to formulate an ASEAN Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Framework, which is in accordance with Thailand’s national cybersecurity strategy