ASEAN – Singapore Cybersecurity Centre for Excellence (ASCCE)

Summary

The ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre for Excellence (ASCCE) is an extension of ASEAN Cyber Capacity Programme (ACCP) that seeks to conduct research, cyber defence exercises, provide CERT-related technical trainings as well as focus on other areas such as international law, cyber strategy, legislation, cyber norms among other cybersecurity policy issues. The ASCCE’s multi-disciplinary training facility is located in Singapore’s city centre and it is operational since April 2020 while the Cyber Range Facility at Temasek Polytechnic is in full operation since October 2019.

Details

Aim

The aim of the Centre is to deepen the region’s cyber security capabilities and enhance its ability to respond to emerging global cyber threats. Furthermore, it expands on the existing Cyber Capacity Programme of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The new structure, besides training against cyber-attacks, prioritises Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in the region, and promotes CERT-to-CERT open-source information exchange.

Context

The ASCCE undertakes a modular, multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach to deliver their programmes. With a five year funding commitment of $30 million from Singapore, the ASCCE engages top cyber experts and trainers, and collaborates with ASEAN Member States, ASEAN Dialogue Partners and other international partners including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom and United States, in designing and delivering cybersecurity capacity building programmes.

Outcome

The ASCCE seeks to fulfil three principal functions:

a) Conduct research and provide training in areas spanning international law, cyber strategy, legislation, cyber norms and other cybersecurity policy issues;

b) Provide CERT-related technical training as well as facilitate the exchange of open-source cyber threat and attack-related information and best practices; and

c) Conduct virtual cyber defence training and exercises.

Activities

Together with ASEAN Dialogue Partners, international partners from governments, NGOs, private sectors and academia, the ASCCE along with the ACCP conducted more than 30 programmes to date. The latter have reached over 900 senior government officials from ASEAN and beyond. Within these, various Cybersecurity Strategy related programmes for ASEAN Member States in partnership with ASEAN Dialogue Partners and stakeholders such as Microsoft and the Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy have taken place. Other initiatives under the ASCCE include workshops as part of the ASEAN Regional Forum with a focus on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in supporting CERTs and the protection of ICT enabled Critical Infrastructure.

2021-2023

• As part of the ASCCE Webinar Series, Singapore and New Zealand co-organised a webinar on Cybersecurity Awareness Raising in July 2021 to share best practices of cybersecurity awareness building campaigns as well as steps in designing a campaign suitable for end-users taking in the cultural and domestic considerations from different perspectives. Twelve additional online programmes have been conducted between 2020 and 2021.
• Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) in collaboration with the Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) America, and RSIS | S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) co-organised the first in-person Global Cyber Policy Dialogue Series at ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence on 4 July, 2023.
• The ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE) was welcomed 24 Fellows from around the world to the 3rd iteration of the UN-Singapore Cyber Fellowship (UNSCF), which was held from 14 to 19 August 2023. This event was organised by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs at Vienna (UNODA) and the NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE).

Training programmes

• The UK delivered a training course on crisis communications for cyber security to the ASCCE in early 2022. The UK convened a Digital Diplomacy course later in 2022.
• A series of country training programmes: Workshop on Cybersecurity session on “Whole-of-Government Approaches”, Workshop on Cybersecurity session on “CERTs and Incident Response”.
• The ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence hosted in-person programmes with the Singapore-United States Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) Workshop on Cybersecurity in February 2023, co-organised with the U.S. Department of State.