ASEAN’s Cyber Initiatives: A Select List
Southeast Asia is a highly digitalized region in a geostrategic location. It boasted an 80% internet penetration rate in 2022, and its digital economy was projected to hit $100 billion in 2023. Along with its rapid digitalization and rising geopolitical tensions in the region, cybercrime in Southeast Asia has become a pressing threat. Between 2021 and 2022, cybercrime in Southeast Asia increased by 82%. The countries that were the most frequent targets of cybercrime in Southeast Asia in 2023—Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam—also had the highest digitalization rates, making them more attractive targets for cybercriminals.
To better mitigate increasing cyber risks, the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is improving the region’s cybersecurity capabilities, cyber capacity-building, and cybercrime information-sharing efforts through a series of cyber initiatives.
ASEAN has also received support from close allies as it develops its cybersecurity initiatives, such as Japan through the ASEAN–Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre (AJCCBC). The AJCCBC is the physical location providing cybersecurity training for ASEAN member states. AJCCBC aims to increase ASEAN’s cyber workforce to 700+ individuals over four years by providing trainings and other activities. It is funded by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), a fund established in 2006 to promote and support cooperation between ASEAN and Japan, among other objectives. It was established in 2017 and is located in Thailand.
Cybersecurity will continue to be an emerging and important arena of cooperation and dialogue for ASEAN member states. These initiatives can guide member states as they bolster regional cyber threat information and cybercrime intelligence sharing and enhance cyber capacity-building efforts.
