The National Institute of Cyber Security (NICS) and Microsoft Corp yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly address cybersecurity threats, use artificial intelligence to buttress the resilience of critical infrastructure and promote the adoption of a “Zero Trust” cybersecurity framework.
The agreement was signed by the institute’s president Lin Ying-dar (林盈達) and Microsoft’s Asia Regional Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy Marcus Bartley Jones in Taipei yesterday.
Lin said that the institute has continued to invest in the development of technologies such as threat hunting and anomalous behavior detection, while promoting the deployment and validation of related defense frameworks across government agencies.
Photo: Chiu Chiao-chen, Taipei Times
Through collaboration with Microsoft, Taiwan can leverage one of the world’s most advanced cybersecurity intelligence networks, strengthening its ability to detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats while enhancing the resilience of its cybersecurity infrastructure, Lin said.
The organizations aim to develop a more precise cybersecurity defense mechanism to gauge the readiness of crucial infrastructure operators against cyber threats, including whether they have well-rounded backup plans or the ability to recover from damages, Lin said.
Jones said that cybersecurity can only be effective if it is handled collectively, and collaboration is even more important in the age of AI.
“We are very focused on the way in which AI is creating new threats and challenges. We are also focused, through this partnership, on how we can work together and use AI to detect vulnerabilities faster and defend in a more effective and efficient way against cybersecurity,” he said.
Johns said the partnership would help integrate key cybersecurity intelligence and data contributed by the NISC and Microsoft. Microsoft processes 100 trillion cybersecurity signals per day, while the institute can access information dealing with national security, he said.
Microsoft would continue to invest in large-scale scenario simulations and security validation efforts, aiming to strengthen Taiwan’s overall cybersecurity defenses through hands-on exercises and testing experience, while continuously refining related models and mechanisms, he said.
The institute said that both organizations agreed to adopt a pilot-based approach, using a phased and scalable implementation strategy that begins with small-scale validation before expanding to broader applications, it said.
Under the agreement, cyber threat intelligence would be shared between NICS and Microsoft via a trusted, secure and closed mechanism, while relevant government stakeholders would be involved to jointly improve the efficiency of threat detection, response and remediation, the institute said.
Microsoft agreed to support the large-scale adoption of a Zero Trust architecture, including readiness assessments, baseline development and exercises covering cloud and on-premises environments, the institute said.
Meanwhile, AI-enabled cybersecurity capabilities would be leveraged to sharpen threat hunting, anomaly detection, recovery and failover exercises, it added.
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