Malaysia to boost regional cybersecurity efforts during ASEAN chairmanship - Gobind

Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said Malaysia will intensify cooperation, align with global efforts, and enhance collaboration with dialogue partners as the regional grouping charts its next five-year cycle for the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy.

"ASEAN has already laid strong foundations with two iterations of the ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy (2017-2020 and 2021-2025).

"We look forward to the launch of the ASEAN Regional Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), which will play a key role in facilitating timely information exchange and coordinating our collective regional response to cyber incidents," he said on Monday night.

Gobind was delivering the keynote address at the Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) Summit, organised by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).

The ASEAN Regional CERT, which aims to promote and facilitate information-sharing related to cyber incident response and complement the operational efforts of individual national CERTs in each member state, is set to be launched at the SICW this week.

Gobind said ultimately, ASEAN countries are united in a common purpose to build a trusted digital ecosystem that benefits all. Through joint initiatives, shared knowledge, and collaborative frameworks, the grouping is strengthening regional cybersecurity and data governance.

"This isn't just a commitment on paper; it's a tangible, collective effort to protect our citizens, secure our infrastructure, and promote innovation," he said.

The minister said governments in ASEAN must prepare for the challenges and threats of future or next-generation technologies by ensuring that critical information infrastructure systems are equipped with measures to mitigate these risks.

Gobind noted that the global cybersecurity sector faces a growing shortage of 4.8 million workers, and with traditional bachelor's degrees taking three to four years to complete, the gap is widening faster than it can be filled.

To bridge cybersecurity skills and enforcement gaps, he emphasised the need to develop digital apprenticeships and cultivate skilled talent within the cyber workforce.

"Imagine providing high school graduates with paid training opportunities at talent-hungry tech companies, and doing it at scale. This could create entirely new, cost-effective alternative career pathways for talent... This is an area for us to consider, particularly when it comes to talent in cybersecurity."