Many wonder about the extent of Thai cyber army's jurisdiction

[webfact]

SPECIAL REPORT
Many wonder about the extent of cyber army's jurisdiction
WASAMON AUDJARINT
ASINA PORNWASIN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE ROYAL Thai Armed Forces' much-touted "cyber-army" has sparked criticism about how much authority it will have as well as its potential to control the Internet and crack down on lese majeste violators.

Many observers have also voiced doubts on how the new unit is linked to the recently proposed Single Internet Gateway.

The Army last week announced that it was setting up the unit to handle cyber security as part of its five-year road map.

So, what is the real objective of his "cyber-army" unit, and is it really necessary?

Paiboon Amonpinyokeat, a cyber law specialist, said this unit was necessary to deal with cyber warfare. He added that this idea was not new and that the government was responsible of tackling the country's cyber security concerns. This cyber army will be involved in both protection and suppression aspects of investigation, he said.

He also explained that the cyber army was needed to train military officers and related security organisations to fight cyber criminals and prevent hackers from destroying systems. It will also engage in counter-attacks.

"A cyber army trained to an international standard is necessary, but it has to be cautious and not abuse people's rights," Paiboon added.

However, Thailand still does not have the laws that allow investigation into cyber attacks. To conduct cyber investigation, the authorities need to collaborate with Internet service providers (ISPs), he said. Hence, laws are necessary, he pointed out.

Facebook's latest move to inform users when their information is sent to the authorities as part of security investigations is a good practice to ensure that checks and balances are in place, and that ISPs and online service providers need to follow them, he added.

The cyber army idea will enhance the work of the proposed National Cyber Security Committee under the draft of National Cyber Security Bill, which is part of a raft of new digital economy legislation.

Paiboon pointed out that even other countries, such as the United States and China, have such cyber army units. The US has the Patriot Act and the United Kingdom has similar surveillance provisions in its laws allowing the government to monitor the public.

An IT expert, who chose to remain anonymous, agreed that a cyber army unit is needed, but said it will possibly be used to counter state-sponsored cyber attacks, not general hackers.

"The target of the attacks are state-to-state or country-to-country. Much like troops fighting in a war or being part of the fight against terrorism. This time [the war] is waged in the cyber world," he said.

Actually, the concept of the cyber army is to hack the secret information of another country's military and create disruptions between militaries, he said, adding that the unit's objective is also to keep an eye out for any cyber attack and prevent crucial information from being stolen.

"The unit is for battling cyber wars, hacking information of other countries and protecting the country from cyber attacks. It includes leaking false information or conducting information operations missions," he said.

The unit will be a "cyber force" supporting the Army, Navy and Air Force in a war, he said.

However, other experts the Arthit Suriyawongkul, coordinator of Thai Netizen Network, are still dubious about the unit's true intentions.

The military has adopted an obscure definition of cyber threats, Arthit said, citing a 2012 report by a Senate military committee that studied the relations between social media and national security. From the report, it appears as if the military considers "harmful messages" to be a cyber threat.

For instance, the term "cyber warfare" is used in the report along with examples of previous attacks, but it also says that the Army has detected and categorised web URLs and messages considered "risky" in terms of moral standards and the three key institutions.

"I understand that both matters are critical to the military, but they should be worked on separately. This mix-up has brought confusion to many issues, from the cyber warfare unit to the Single Internet Gateway," Arthit said.

Kan Yuenyong, director of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank, agreed that the military's definition of "cyber attacks" is too broad. For instance, redundancies abound in the unit's missions in providing information technology services and protecting cyber security.

"The military may not thoroughly understand cyber security," Kan said. "And its cyber technology may not be advanced enough to handle missions as expected. It's true that we need to start off our cyber technology in regards to cyber security, but it has to be done one step at a time, so everything is responsive to each other fully."

The military may wish to set up its own cyber unit, apart from that of the ICT Ministry, so it can gain more authority in its future cyber action. However, the military has to be cautious, as last year's coup has made people more sensitive of the military's movements.

However, even though the public is concerned about this unit, it is not really new among militaries.

Prinya Hom-anek, a cyber-security specialist who has been delivering lectures for military officers on cyber technology for six years, said the military's cyber unit has been around for a while, but under other names.

"The military's concerns about cyber security began long before those controversial issues even emerged," he said, referring to the Single Gateway and lese majeste. "I am convinced that the military doesn't want to fight its own country's people, but instead external threats."

Its main objective is to protect the military's cyber infrastructures as they are attacked by foreign malware from time to time, he said. It is also expected to protect Thai cyber territory, Prinya said, citing the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment last year, when wireless Internet at a Thai hotel was used by attackers to steal the company's information.

The cyber army unit is on par with the US Cyber Command in combating with war on cyber space, he said. The cyber space becomes the fifth domain for war, apart from other traditional domains on land, water, air and space.

The unit belongs to the military, the expert continued, and works separately from other agencies. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry may share information of "Thailand's cyber attacks" with the unit, but the two will not cooperate in terms of function.

All military units - Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Thai Navy, the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defence and the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters - have had their own cyber units for years, and each unit works separately, he said.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has instructed agencies under his ministry and military units to step up the security of state information systems, prevent cyber attacks and find a way to block the leaking of information to ill-intentioned groups, Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Kongcheep Tantrawanit said after a Defence Council meeting yesterday.

He added that there are frequent cyber attacks on state websites, causing problems for members of the public who unable to access these websites.

"This has eroded confidence in the government and may adversely affect the country's economic, financial, aviation, security systems.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Many-wonder-about-the-extent-of-cyber-armys-jurisd-30271668.html

-- The Nation 2015-10-27

[oneday]

A "cyber army" or division of the government should be doing one thing and one thing only. It should be protecting businesses and government networks from attacks by hackers and that it is.

However, everyone knows this unit will go way beyond that objective. News media is already being stifled by this government and this "cryber army" will just advance and support government censorship, a further erosion of personal freedoms.

[NongKhaiKid]

What this type of unit gets up to can easily be withheld as all the govt will do is cite national security and it's ' end of '.

[FangFerang]

"It will also engage in counter-attacks....A cyber army trained to an international standard is necessary, but it has to be cautious and not abuse people's rights," Paiboon added.

"Meanwhile, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan has instructed agencies to.... find a way to block the leaking of information to ill-intentioned groups."

Edited October 27, 2015 by FangFerang

[phoenixdoglover]

Cyber war. Cyber army. This is conditioning to get acceptance for military control.