DALLAS, July 5, 2021 – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, have collaborated to provide the Advanced Threat Defense Training to security operations center and computer security incident response teams (SOCs/CSIRTs) from Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

The training focused on understanding the latest trends in cyber-attacks, including targeted attacks, ransomware, and business email compromise, as well as effective security measures and technologies to counter the threats.

According to UNODC's 2021 Darknet Cybercrime Threats to Southeast Asia, cybercrime is evolving and growing in the region. This includes malware and ransomware proliferation, DDoS attacks, data breaches, and phishing, often targeting critical national infrastructure.

UNODC has partnered with Trend Micro to expand capacity-building efforts and effectiveness in the public and private sectors by providing specialized incident response training. The training has also been designed to prepare participants to improve their cybercrime investigation and incident response capabilities in the face of targeted attacks.

“We are constantly looking for ways to assist Member States in their ongoing fight against cybercrime, and I believe that close collaboration with partners such as TrendMicro is critical to addressing cyber threats effectively. Leveraging their expertise helps protect the region against today’s most prominent threats”, remarked Alexandru Caciuloiu, UNODC Cybercrime and Cryptocurrency Advisor for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“Stopping global cybercrime requires ongoing collaboration. We are always honored to provide this training to groups like UNODC as we all work toward this common goal. Public-private partnerships like this are one way Trend Micro consistently works toward our mission of making the world a safer place for exchanging digital information”, said Akihiko Omikawa, Executive vice president for Trend Micro and Head of Trend Micro Cybersecurity Institute.

Several incident response exercises were conducted, during which participants learned about targeted attack methodologies, as well as incident response attacks. Participants improved their ability to implement security measures by considering both the attacker and defender’s perspectives, as well as hands-on investigation and analysis techniques.

The training, delivered from 14-18 June 2021, was developed and implemented by the Trend Micro Cybersecurity Institute, which was established to share Trend Micro's knowledge and expertise to help achieve secure digital transformation.

Click here to read more about the UNODC Darknet Cybercrime Threats to Southeast Asia report.

Click here to read more about Cybercrime and COVID-19 in Southeast Asia: an evolving picture.