G7 Special Report 3] Cyber Risks in Developing Countries Threaten the Entire World
Japan will preside over the G7 Hiroshima Summit and lead discussions on various issues facing the international community. Taking this opportunity, this series will consider the current status and future challenges of important issues facing the international community, as well as Japan’s contribution and JICA’s cooperation. In the final installment, we will focus on “cyber security. With the rapid acceleration of the use of digital technology in recent years, strengthening cyber security has emerged as a pressing issue common to the world.
Cyber Attacks on Critical Infrastructures Threaten National Security Many of the infrastructures that support our society are based on digital technologies, such as money transfers using smartphones, train and airplane operation management, and electric and water control systems that are essential to our daily lives. If the functions of critical infrastructures such as finance, electricity, telecommunications, and railroads were to cease, the impact on the lives of citizens and economic activities would be enormous, and national security would also be threatened.
With the rapid digitization of society in recent years, there is concern about a sharp increase in cyber attacks on critical infrastructure as a means of attacking nations and obtaining foreign currency. In the United States, in 2021, the nation’s largest oil pipeline was hit by a ransomware attack for monetary purposes, shutting down operations for five days and significantly affecting the lives of citizens. In developing countries as well, attacks aimed at shutting down power systems (multiple years, including Ukraine 2015; South Africa 2019), leaking citizen information (Ecuador 2019), shutting down health services (Botswana 2020), and illicit money transfers to financial systems (Bangladesh 2016; Uganda 2020) Attacks targeting critical social infrastructure continue to increase, including.
Recently, cybercriminals have become more sophisticated in their tactics, spending months to years hiding in targeted computers and causing system failures on a massive scale. The borderless cyberspace cannot be protected only by one country’s response. To protect one’s own country, it is essential to strengthen cooperation and collaboration with other countries.
In 2015, the G7 established the G7 Cyber Expert Group among the financial supervisory authorities, finance ministries, and central banks of each country, and discussions are underway to promote cybersecurity in the financial sector and strengthen cooperation among G7 countries. At the G7 Ise-Shima Summit (2016), which Japan last chaired, the G7 Principles and Actions on Cyber were released, and the G7 agreed to strengthen cooperation, including capacity building, to promote security and stability in cyberspace.
Developing countries are also targets. The Ministerial Declaration of the G7 Digital and Technology Ministerial Meeting held on April 29 and 30, prior to the G7 Hiroshima Summit, included six themes, including the promotion of DFFT (Data Free Flow with Trust), the responsible use of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and the construction of secure and robust digital infrastructure, including in emerging and developing countries. The ministerial declaration for the G7 Digital and Technology Ministerial Meeting held on March 30 included six themes, including the promotion of DFFT (Data Free Flow with Trust), the use of responsible AI (Artificial Intelligence), and the creation of secure and robust digital infrastructures, including in emerging and developing countries.
While digitization is rapidly advancing around the world, emerging and developing countries with inadequate security measures are increasingly becoming targets or entry points for cyber attacks. This is because attackers often launch attacks from locations with low levels of defense. Under these circumstances, cooperation from Japan, which has strengths in the field of cyber security, is expected.
Japan enacted the Cyber Security Basic Law in January 2015. The Cabinet Cyber Security Center was established in the Cabinet Secretariat to promote laws and regulations, and in May 2022, the Economic Security Promotion Bill was enacted to take concrete steps to protect critical infrastructure from cyber attacks as a nation.
Japan ranks 7th (in 2020) in the annual ranking of cybersecurity (not including military aspects) achievement by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency, just behind the top. In terms of measures to strengthen security, Japan is on par with the U.S., which ranks first.
Japan is highly regarded around the world not only for the measures it takes, but also for the steady progress it makes in implementing them,” said Masayuki Furukawa of the STI-DX Office, Governance and Peacebuilding Department of JICA. Mr. Masayuki Furukawa of JICA’s Governance and Peacebuilding Department’s STI/DX Office speaks of Japan’s strengths. According to Mr. Furukawa, developing countries are increasingly asking for “all kinds of cooperation from Japan” in terms of specific response procedures and systems in the event of a cyber attack.
Cooperation in cyber security measures, which may involve access to sensitive national information, is not possible without a relationship of mutual trust, and the trust that JICA and others have built through development cooperation can be said to be the foundation for this cooperation.
Since 2009, Japan has been holding the ASEAN-Japan Cyber Security Policy Meeting with ASEAN countries, with which Japan has long cooperated in development, with the aim of strengthening cooperation and initiatives in cyber security measures. Furthermore, through the ASEAN-Japan Cyber Security Capacity Building Center (Bangkok, Thailand), which was established in 2018 with Japan’s support, we have expanded training content for government officials and critical infrastructure project officials in ASEAN countries, and have trained 500 cyber security personnel to date. Japan as a whole has cooperated in this effort, including the development of 500 cyber security personnel.
To expand the base of cyber security human resources JICA’s cyber security-related support has been increasing over the past few years. In addition to local human resource development and capacity building tailored to each country’s situation, JICA is focusing on strengthening ties and building networks between Japan and related countries in the region through group training programs in Japan and wide-area cooperation in cooperation with Thailand and Indonesia.
In Vietnam, we provided training and other activities to the Information Security Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Communication to improve its capacity for proactive and reactive cybersecurity response. At the same time, we also promoted public awareness of cyber security by creating policies to protect children from Internet threats and producing videos and pamphlets in line with the spread of the digital society. At the same time, we are conducting training in Japan with the aim of strengthening the Ministry of Public Security’s ability to deal with cyber crimes and strengthening relations between the security authorities of the two countries.
In Indonesia, we have launched a cybersecurity program for ICT engineers at the University of Indonesia, one of the country’s premier universities, with the aim of strengthening the country’s capacity to produce cybersecurity personnel. We will also promote the development of open source cyber security tools based on local needs. We are also collaborating with universities in neighboring countries, such as Mongolia, to develop a wide range of human resources.
In addition, we will accelerate the development of cybersecurity personnel throughout the ASEAN region. In cooperation with the ASEAN-Japan Cyber Security Capacity Building Center, we are expanding training and cyber security personnel development programs for young people, and have begun training 500 new personnel.
It is important to have the resilience to cope with any situation. Regarding the significance of JICA’s cooperation, Mr. Furukawa said, “As digitization progresses further, the methods of cyber attacks will change, and there will be no end in terms of how to prepare countermeasures. The most important thing is to build a foundation of resilience, the ability to respond flexibly and take countermeasures in times of emergency,” says Furukawa.
He also pointed out that some developing countries, lacking both human and financial resources, are unable to accept assistance from various countries and organizations, even if they receive it. We believe it is an important role of JICA to understand the local needs and situations and to coordinate the necessary support.
Cyber security requires efforts from all aspects, including the formulation of a national strategy and promotion system, development of a legal system, improvement of public and private sector capabilities and technologies, and collaboration with domestic and foreign organizations. It is also essential to educate all citizens, from the young to the elderly. Furthermore, there is a mountain of issues that must be addressed in order to protect the nation and face the rapid spread of innovative digital technology.
© Source JICA
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