Southeast Asia is undergoing an unprecedented digital transformation, with new technologies rapidly setting new social and economic norms. The Southeast Asian digital economy will reach USD $300 billion in 2025 and can provide a platform for new voices.

However, security challenges also come from many directions. For example, digital literacy varies widely across the region, as digital education is still a recent phenomenon. Government priorities and capacities also differ from country to country. The actors who influence cybersecurity widely range from private companies to hacktivists and from non-state criminal groups to governments. What does all of this mean for SSG?

This brief is ideal for anyone looking to familiarise themselves with cybersecurity governance as a topic by itself, but especially in the context of Southeast Asia.

It looks at developments at the regional and national levels , and examines emerging patterns and challenges, as well as offers concrete recommendations for the way forward.

This cyber dimension of traditional geopolitical conflict has the potential of escalating hostilities, particularly when patriotic hackers operate independently with minimal government control.