QUEZON CITY -- The Asian Productivity Organization (APO), with the Republic of Korea as the host country, recently organized a training on cybersecurity for its member countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkiye, and Vietnam. This is to encourage the adoption of cybersecurity management practices among IT professionals.

Among the forty-four participants, fourteen represented various Philippine National Government Agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, Philippine Information Agency, Development Academy of the Philippines, Department of Information and Communication Technology, and the Philippine Military Academy, alongside participants from the private sector.

The four-day training was moderated by Mr. Towfiqul Islam of APO and the training sessions were led by five cybersecurity experts including Mr. Chris Kim of Cyrobe LLC, Mr. Ken Soh and Mr. Nyan Tun Zaw from Singapore as well as Mr. Joon Kim and Mr. Seong Ju Kang both from the Republic of Korea.

With the rapid evolution of threats in information and communication technology, the massive attack surface exploited by cyber criminals, and tools becoming more sophisticated with the intervention of artificial intelligence (AI) make it easier for attackers to overwhelm their target and potentially crippling existing cybersecurity defense systems.

As these risks become more complicated, the response involves continuous innovation and solutions progressing from simple to more advanced strategies that aim to effectively mitigate attacks on critical information infrastructures.

Moreover, the revolution in the cyber threat landscape also leads to a global shortage of cybersecurity experts. It's important to recognize that human intelligence remains the most crucial resource in formulating effective cybersecurity strategies.

The resource speakers unanimously assert that learning and skill development are essential requirements to equip individuals to stay updated with the latest cybersecurity knowledge and skills.

Meanwhile, Mr. Chris Kim from Cyrobe, LLC also provided an overview of cybersecurity certification to the participants and encouraged them to consider and take advantage of the available certifications such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), and CompTIA Security +. Given the scarcity of experts in the field, multinational companies are offering competitive compensation and benefits.

In the cybersecurity industry, the responsibility of reskilling and upskilling falls upon every IT expert, and this involves not only enhancing one's own skills but also educating stakeholders about emerging trends and threats. (NM – PIA MISD)