Governments should work with the private sector and civic groups to bolster their countries’ cybersecurity efforts, former US secretary of homeland security Janet Napolitano said yesterday at the opening of a cybersecurity expo in Taipei.
Napolitano, who served as the department’s head from 2009 to 2013, said that governments should “enlist” the private sector and civil society groups to promote readiness for cybersecurity threats.
An example of how collaboration between the public and private sectors could make cyberconnections more secure was a department campaign that encouraged the public to provide tips to law enforcement agencies, she said.
Photo: RITCHIE B. TONGO, EPA-EFE
She said that her former agency received “a significant volume of tips” about signs of terrorism and terrorism-related activities under the campaign known as “If you see something, say something,” and that the information was often “actionable.”
No matter how strong an organizational defense might be, there might be an adversary that can break through it, and what is important is to “mitigate vulnerability to cyberrisks,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano, whose visit to Taiwan was not previously announced, is a member of the Intelligence Advisory Board of US President Joe Biden’s administration.
She was invited to deliver remarks at Cybersec, a three-day expo in Taipei showcasing the latest products and services of more than 300 leading cybersecurity brands.
The event, which ends tomorrow, also features keynote speeches and panel discussions by cybersecurity experts, company executives and government officials, including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Napolitano said that the world’s center of gravity is shifting to Asia and that as regional powers grow into global powers, security vulnerabilities are also emerging.
However, through information-security resilience, there is hope that known and unknown risks can be reduced, she said.
This is the first time Napolitano, who is also the founder of the Center for Security in Politics at the University of California, Berkeley, has visited Taiwan.
Taiwan and the university have a long-term and stable relationship, and have held many student exchanges, she said, adding that the institution has more than 1,000 Taiwanese alumni and the number of students from Taiwan attending has increased by more than 60 percent in the past five years.
Berkeley also works with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), and other partners to support innovative projects, she said.
Speaking at the expo’s opening ceremony, Tsai said that her administration sees cybersecurity companies and experts, as well as civic groups, as “important partners” in the effort to enhance Taiwan’s cybersecurity and resilience to cyberattacks.
The government would continue to promote domestic research and development of cybersecurity products and services while encouraging investment in start-ups providing cybersecurity solutions, she said.
At the same time, Taiwan would also continue to seek international cooperation to bolster national security in cyberspace, she said.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from