Cyber-Terrorism—South-East Asia

There are conflicting reports coming out of Southeast Asia about whether the region is vulnerable to cyber-terrorism. According to Reuters, Southeast Asia is still a long way from being hit by cyber attacks,^[1] while the AP claims that the region is indeed vulnerable.^[2] That, at least, would be the impression if headlines were the only source of news. As it turns out, both news agencies were reporting on a regional cyber security meeting in Kuala Lumpur, and the assessment of global cyber experts is fairly similar: the region will inevitably face an internet-based attack by terrorists against key institutions, even though militant groups lack the technical savvy so far.^[3]

According to Rohan Gunaratna, the head of the political violence and terrorism centre at Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, "It will take a very long time for Southeast Asian groups to develop the capability to attack the Internet."^[4] Yean Yoke Heng, the deputy head of the Malaysian-based South East Asia Regional Centre for Counter Terrorism, says that the “threat is real” and it isn’t a “question of how or what, but it is only of when.”^[5] Security officials and analysts from Malaysia, the United States, Japan, Cambodia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand were on hand at the five-day conference, “discuss[ing] how governments can prevent terrorists from exploiting information technology.”^[6]

Mr. Gunaratna also mentioned how the Internet is being used primarily for recruitment, with groups such as Jamaah Islamiyah “using [it] as a medium to create a new generation of radicalized Muslims” through the creation of more than 1,000 jihadist Web sites.^[7] He offered three proposals for countries to deal with the threat:

• the nations in the region should be working together to understand how terrorists use the internet and try to find methods to fight back;
• the Southeast Asian region should emulate Europe and the United States on how to develop Internet technologies to overcome the challenge; and
• the Southeast Asian nations should develop a collaborative framework among the region, as well as links outside the region.^[8]

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[1] Southeast Asian Cyber Attacks Still Way Off, Reuters (via alertnet.org), May 22, 2006.
[2] Southeast Asia Vulnerable to Cyber Attack by Terrorists, Associated Press (via Jakarta Post), May 22, 2006.
[3] Id; Reuters, supra note 1.
[4] Reuters.
[5] Id.
[6] AP, supra note 2.
[7] Id.
[8] 1,000 Radical Groups Post Terror Ideology on the Net, Says Expert, Bernama, May 22, 2006.