ICT Ministry plans cyber-security framework

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The Information and Communications Technology Ministry will draw up a national cyber-security policy framework to fight online crime and fraud, expecting to submit it to the Cabinet by the end of the year. ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap said the framework would comprise four areas: national security, the economy, peace in the country, and national infrastructure. The fourth area would include network infrastructure, utility services and energy. The ministry will set up a National Cyber Security Policy Committee to develop the draft of the framework in the near future. It will also revise two relevant laws, the Cyber Crime Law and the E-Transaction Law, to support the policy framework.

Moreover, the ministry has set up two new agencies to handle online malfeasance, the Cyber Security Operation Centre and the Thai Computer Emergency Response Team (ThaiCERT). About 300 cyber-attacks have been reported to ThaiCERT and the agency has been able to solve about 80 per cent of the problems, usually within a couple of days.

Prinya Hom-anek, president of ACIS Professional Center, said this was the right time to develop a framework for cyber-security policy. However, he urged the ministry to choose experts and specialists with experience both internationally and domestically to help develop the draft. Anudith said: "I think this is the first step in Thailand's creation of a security framework to give people, businesses and government confidence to run online transactions, which will drive e-commerce and protect it from cyber-attacks and crime.

As the next step, the framework will lead to a national master plan for cyber-security." He said the ministry expected that the first draft would be completed by next month, and then it would be submitted for public hearing. The ministry will submit it to the Cabinet by year-end. He said various cyber-attacks such as phishing, spam and malware were causing damage and waste for business and the country as a whole.

"I think the national cyber-security policy framework will create confidence [that we will] cope with threats and protect against illegal attacks in cyberspace," Anudith said. On another matter, he said the ministry would submit to the Cabinet within a few days the conclusion of its evaluation of the performance of the executive board of the Software Industry Promotion Agency.

nationmultimedia.com