APCERT

APCERT
Name	APCERT
Type	Non-profit association
Founded	2002
Region served	Asia Pacific
Headquarters	Singapore

APCERT

APCERT is a coalition of national and regional Computer Emergency Response Teams and Computer Security Incident Response Teams in the Asia Pacific region that coordinates cybersecurity incident response, information sharing, and capacity building among member organizations and international partners such as FIRST and APNIC. It promotes interoperability with entities including ICANN, ITU, INTERPOL, ASEAN Secretariat, and regional CERTs to strengthen resilience against threats like coordinated ransomware campaigns, supply-chain compromises, and distributed denial-of-service attacks affecting critical infrastructure across jurisdictions. APCERT works alongside technical communities and standard bodies such as IETF, IEEE, OWASP, ENISA, and ISOC to translate operational lessons into practice.

Overview

APCERT is an operational forum linking incident response teams from economies across Asia Pacific, including representatives from national teams like CERT Australia, JPCERT/CC, and SingCERT as well as industry-affiliated teams such as Cisco Talos and vendor teams at Microsoft Security Response Center. The association fosters collaboration among stakeholders drawn from organizations like APNIC, ICANN, ITU, INTERPOL, UNESCO, and multilateral arrangements including the ASEAN Regional Forum and APEC. APCERT organizes conferences, workshops, exercises, and working groups to align practices with international frameworks used by FIRST, ISO/IEC, and NIST.

History and Formation

APCERT formed in response to high-profile incidents and the recognition of cross-border cyber threats following events that shaped international cyber cooperation such as the WannaCry outbreak, the Conficker worm era, and coordinated responses to malware families linked to state and criminal actors observed in the early 2000s. Founding participants included teams from economies represented in forums like APEC, ASEAN, and the Pacific Islands Forum. Over time APCERT expanded its remit through partnerships with institutions like APNIC, IETF, FIRST, ITU, and law enforcement bodies such as INTERPOL to address escalating threats exemplified by campaigns attributed to actors involved in incidents similar to those investigated by FBI and Europol.

Organization and Governance

APCERT is governed by a steering committee composed of elected representatives from member CERTs and CSIRTs drawn from countries and territories such as Australia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, and Pacific island administrations represented in forums like the Pacific Islands Forum. Its secretariat functions coordinate activities with international partners including FIRST, APNIC, IETF, ICANN, and standards bodies like ISO while aligning governance practices with principles endorsed by UNODC initiatives and regional policy dialogues such as ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Information and Communications Technology.

Activities and Services

APCERT conducts incident handling coordination, produces threat intelligence reports, runs tabletop exercises, and organizes conferences such as annual forums and training aligned with curricula promoted by SANS Institute, Cyberspace Administration of China-adjacent entities, and academic programs at institutions like National University of Singapore and University of Tokyo. It publishes best-practice guidance interoperable with standards from ISO/IEC 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and RFCs developed via IETF. APCERT also provides mentorship, technical assistance, and operational toolkits used by members and partners including Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, Cisco, and research centers such as Kaspersky Lab and Symantec.

Membership and Partnerships

Membership comprises national and regional CERTs and CSIRTs from economies engaged in multilateral arrangements like APEC and ASEAN. Partners include technical, academic, industry, and intergovernmental organizations: FIRST, IETF, APNIC, ICANN, ITU, INTERPOL, Europol, UNESCO, World Bank, ADB, SANS Institute, NIST, ISO, cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and cybersecurity vendors including Trend Micro, Kaspersky Lab, FireEye, and Palo Alto Networks.

Incident Response and Coordination

APCERT facilitates real-time incident coordination among members during transnational incidents like large-scale DDoS attacks, advanced persistent threat campaigns, and malware outbreaks similar to NotPetya or WannaCry, liaising with law enforcement organizations including INTERPOL, Europol, and national police cyber units as well as with infrastructure operators such as APNIC, national telecommunications regulators, and major internet exchange points like JPIX and Equinix. It operates communication channels, secure mailing lists, and playbooks aligned with international incident handling practices promoted by FIRST and incident classification taxonomies from MITRE.

Policy Influence and Capacity Building

APCERT contributes operational input to regional policy dialogues and technical standards through engagement with bodies such as ASEAN, APEC Telecommunications Working Group, ITU-D, UN OICT, World Bank, and ADB, supporting capacity-building programs funded or implemented with partners including UNDP and JICA. Training and exercises leverage curricula and certifications provided by institutions like SANS Institute, (ISC)², APNIC Academy, and universities such as National Taiwan University and Korea University to enhance skills in incident handling, malware analysis, and threat intelligence among member teams and stakeholders.

Category:Computer security organizations