Brunei beefs up cyber security

Software giant Microsoft and Brunei local company IT Protective Security Services Sdn Bhd (ITPSS) signed a Security Cooperation Program (SCP) that aimed to provide a structured way for the government and Microsoft to engage in cooperative activities in the area of cyber security on Tuesday. The goal of SCP is to help the government of Brunei to address threats in national security, economic strength and public safety more efficiently and effectively through cooperation in the areas of computer incident response, attack mitigation and citizen outreach. Tuesday's signing was a renewal of the first SCP that was signed in March 2010 and includes additional online training and webinars with updated cyber security topics, as well as two- way information exchanges. "In 2012, the Brunei Computer Emergency Response Team (BruCERT), a team under ITPSS, recorded 1,000 security incident reports, with more than half of all those incidents of malicious nature. We expect that the number to rise with the increased broadband access around the country, that is why the Security Cooperation Program is such an important initiative to protect the citizens of Brunei from online threats," said Haniza Zakariya, country manager of Microsoft Brunei. An increase in Brunei's international bandwidth as well as the expansion of fiber-based broadband services has enabled citizens to get online easier and faster. According to the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam, the average download speed available in Brunei has increased to 4.83 Mbps from 2.27 Mbps in January 2012. "In today's rapidly changing environment, it is important to get and share information as quickly as possible when faced with cyber security threats. Partnering with a technology leader like Microsoft, with their deep-rooted experience and global know-how in this space, makes a lot of sense," said Shamsul Bahri Haji Kamis, CEO of ITPSS. "We also know that prevention is better than cure, and that is why are proactively working with Microsoft to provide training and knowledge transfer on the latest cyber security topics to our constituents," he added. "The renewal of the Security Cooperation Program reflects the confidence of government agencies on the initiatives taken by ITPSS, as well as its efforts in bringing in more affiliates to strengthen the multi-party collaboration to address the cyber security of Brunei as a whole," said Zakariya. Witnessing the signing ceremony as the Guest of Honor was Pehin Dato Dr. Haji Mohammad Yasmin, minister of energy at the Prime Minister's Office, as well as chairman of the E-Government Leadership Forum. Also in attendance was Cesar Cernuda, the president of Microsoft Asia Pacific, who spoke about how SCP is another key step in helping the government achieve Wawasan Brunei 2035 (Brunei Vision 2035). "Like the success of our strategic e-Government initiatives that we have been working on with the Brunei government, we are compounding Microsoft's strengths by working in close collaboration with local partners such as ITPSS on this program. Our presence in Brunei since 2006 has enabled us to have a close relationship with businesses and the government, working together to boost the economy as well as make a real impact in the areas of citizenship, education and partner enablement," he said. With more than 60 percent of Brunei's population online (which is equivalent to 240,000 people), and more people and businesses using various devices to connect to the internet, security and privacy threats are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and malicious than ever before. "Today's cyber security challenges demand a steady, consistent approach to protect users and Microsoft has more than two decades of experience in this space. We have invested in our comprehensive security and privacy program for over a decade as part of Trustworthy Computing -- a long-term, collaborative effort to create and deliver secure, private, and reliable computing experiences for everyone. We believe that security and privacy are huge societal challenges that demand deep collaboration and continuous improvement," said Cernuda.