ASEAN must tackle cyber attacks

ASEAN must tackle cyber attacks

SINGAPORE: Southeast Asia should develop a "common and sustained" approach to protect telecommunications and computer networks from viruses and hackers, Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said on Thursday.

Goh said attacks by three computer viruses worldwide last month had cost an estimated US$800 million in damage.

These attacks and the recent massive power blackout in the U.S. underscored the challenges facing modern technological societies.

The vulnerabilities of telecommunications, computer, airline, power and rail networks must be minimized even as societies benefit from them, Goh said in a speech to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) information and communications ministers here.

"The answer to network threats is not to close our markets or de-link ourselves from one another," he said.

"Instead, ASEAN should develop a common and sustained approach to the security of our telecommunications and computer networks so that we can enjoy the fruits of a fully connected region. -- AFP