• Department:TWCERT/CC
• Update:2024-11-13
• Count Views:1493

The 2024 APCERT Annual General Meeting and Conference, hosted by the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) and Taiwan Computer Emergency Response Team / Coordination Center (TWCERT/CC), took place Nov. 5 to 6 at the Taipei Marriott Hotel. On Nov. 7, it was followed by the APCERT and FIRST Regional Symposium for Asia Pacific, held in collaboration with the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), the world’s largest organization for incident response and security.

Themed “Power of Together: More Than the Sum of APCERTs/CSIRTs,” the conference and symposium attracted cybersecurity experts from 25 Asia-Pacific and global economies. It served as a key platform for discussing major issues such as global cybersecurity threat trends, the impact and opportunity of emerging AI technologies, cybersecurity governance strengthening, cross-border collaboration and talent development.

Taiwan’s Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao attended the conference, stating that with the rapid development of global digitalization, cybersecurity threats are increasing. Only through global cooperation, information sharing and technical collaboration can we effectively address this severe challenge. She highlighted that Taiwan considers cybersecurity to be an important government priority. In fact, cybersecurity is the top priority, as it forms the foundation for ensuring that government services continue to function, and that the people’s economic activities can proceed normally in the face of natural disasters or other threats. This conference will help further strengthen cooperation among cybersecurity agencies in the Asia-Pacific region, promote innovation in cybersecurity technologies and enhance Taiwan’s cybersecurity capabilities.

Hsiao also expressed her special thanks to co-host FIRST for expanding the international influence of the conference. Additionally, FIRST has generously sponsored female cybersecurity experts from the Asia-Pacific region to attend the meeting, encouraging more women to engage in the cybersecurity field while making our international cybersecurity cooperation more inclusive.

TWCERT/CC, host of the conference, is operated by the National Institute of Cyber Security (NICS) starting January this year. Deputy Minister Herming Chiueh of the Ministry of Digital Affairs said Taiwan is deepening its ties and collaboration with Asia-Pacific and global cybersecurity organizations through TWCERT/CC, working to protect freedom and democracy in the digital sphere.

Yukako Uchida, a FIRST Board of Directors, praised TWCERT/CC for its efforts to bring the Asia-Pacific regional symposium back to an in-person format. She said that the conference exemplifies the close partnership and trust between FIRST, Taiwan and regional collaborators. Uchida added that FIRST is expected to continue expanding and strengthening connections within the Asia-Pacific cybersecurity community.

The 2024 APCERT AGM and Conference marks the return to in-person meetings after four years and is Taiwan’s first time hosting the event since 2014. The conference focused on addressing urgent global cybersecurity issues. These included the impact of emerging technologies such as AI, strengthening cybersecurity governance, cross-border cooperation, talent training, strategic development and promoting regional collaboration in cybersecurity. It is hoped this will unite global efforts to enhance cybersecurity resilience and better address the growing cyber threats worldwide.

Private sector participants included Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC), CyCraft Technology and Trend Micro Inc. They shared their experiences in cybersecurity protection and governance, underscoring the active participation of Taiwan’s industry in global public-private partnerships to enhance cybersecurity.