Ministry sets up ICT security committee

[Nick]

Concerns grows as careless Internet use escalates

In an attempt to tackle online fraud and prepare for "cyber warfare", the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry has set up a high-level committee to oversee cyber security in Thailand and initiate moves to combat online crime.

Called the ICT Security Committee, the new body has been assigned to oversee five key security-related areas: the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), critical infrastructure, information warfare, public security and public awareness of the need for cyber security.

The move follows the recent establishment of similar organisations in the United States and the United Kingdom, following fears of what is now called "cyber warfare" - action taken by one country to penetrate the computers or networks of another country in order to cause damage or disruption.

Thailand's new ICT Security Committee consists of 18 experts on information security from both private and government organisations. The ICT Ministry's permanent secretary is its president.

Rom Hiranpruk, an adviser to the ICT Minister, is also an adviser to the new committee. He said the committee's five areas of responsibility were settled at its first meeting.

The establishment of the committee demonstrates the ICT Ministry's growing concern for Thailand's cyber and information-technology security. Its formation is intended to pave the way for the eventual establishment of a National Cyber Security Agency, he said.

"In the past, these kinds of jobs have been separated into several departments of the ICT Ministry. This is the first time that all the tasks related to cyber security have been gathered into one place and the experts allowed to work together," Rom said.

He said the committee was a first step towards to the formation of a National Cyber Security Agency. However, creating such an agency will require cooperation from several other ministries. The ICT Ministry plans to submit a proposal to the Cabinet some time in the future for the formation of a national agency, after the newly-created Cyber Security Committee has been operating for a while and has produced tangible results.

"Upgrading the committee to become a National Cyber Security Agency would supposedly be the responsibility of the National Information and Communication Technology Committee, whose president is the prime minister, in order to effectively execute the plan and the agency's mission," Rom said.

He said the government and the ICT Ministry were concerned about cyber security because it was a part of national security.

However, the government has allowed a serious gap to develop between the adoption of ICT and awareness of the need for security in its use. The rapid growth in popularity of social-networking sites and the increase of Internet usage in both work and daily life is expected to result in escalating cases of online fraud.

ACIS Professional Centre president and founder Prinya Hom-anek, who is a cyber security expert, is a member of the new committee. He said the priority for the government was to increase public awareness of cyber or ICT security, rather than continuing to promote the use and adoption of technology without warning users about the dangers that came with it.

"The government should regulate for ICT security, to help prevent fraud. It should also develop guidelines, or a manual, for people who are spending time online, explaining the things they should be concerned about, and where they should be careful. This would be better than letting people enjoy the Internet and the cyber world without awareness of the need for security," Prinya said.   

He said the top five trends in cyber-security threats this year were vulnerabilities of Web 2.0; mobile Malware; next-generation hacking (on behalf of criminals); insider threats and organised crime;  and insecure infrastructure and the pressures that brought to the growing business of outsourcing.

Security company Symantec has forecast that attacks against individual reputations will be a key security issue this year, and says the need for protection is becoming imperative. Social networks have been involved in very high-profile attacks.

Meanwhile, PTT's ICT solutions chief security officer Chaiyakorn Apiwathanokul said that online threats were rising along with rapid increases in use of the Internet, ICT and mobile phones.

The government has been quite successful in encouraging both individuals and businesses to enhance their operations and life by using technology and the Internet, he said. But a lot of people who are now using these technologies are not concerned about, or not aware of, the security issues. They lack knowledge about cyber security and online threats. The gap between Internet use and this knowledge is getting bigger, and it is the duty of the government to take action and protect people and the country from new forms of cyber attack.

"The danger is that more people are using technology and the Internet without concern for security. Their online behaviour is leading them to be attacked by hackers. They are not aware, they do not have the knowledge, and they do not have the technology tools such as Internet security software to protect themselves at the first hand.

"These are urgent issues that the government must be concerned about. Cyber security must become a part of the national agenda," Chaiyakorn said.

ที่มา: nationmultimedia.com