Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), via its Authority of Information Security, has become the 10th government-level member of the FIDO Alliance, an open-industry authentication organisation.
The announcement was made during the FIDO APAC Summit 2023 at the Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang, in Nha Trang, Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam. The summit’s theme was “Connecting for a Safer Digital Future: Passwordless Authentication in the APAC Region.”
The event attracted approximately 300 delegates from countries including Vietnam, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Trần Đăng Khoa, Acting Director General of the Authority of Information Security, highlighted that the rapid adoption of digital technology has moved many real-world activities online. This shift has introduced numerous risks and challenges related to information security breaches.
“To swiftly rectify our current deficiencies in authentication and to sidestep becoming an enticing target for cyber adversaries, a comprehensive strategy is essential. Such a strategy requires the proactive involvement of governmental agencies, supported by the tech industry,” he stated in Vietnamese.
Industry and government unite for stronger APAC cybersecurity
Meanwhile, Simon Trac Do, CEO and Founder of Vietnamese cybersecurity firm VinCSS, expressed optimism that the support from the Vietnamese government will strengthen not only the country’s security posture, but the entire region as well.
“With the support from the FIDO Alliance and its member organisations, Vietnam aims to be an active alliance member and contribute to tackling the challenge of robust authentication in the APAC region,” he said.
In many parts of APAC, passwords are still the primary authentication method for enterprises, a situation that Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director and CMO of the FIDO Alliance, described as “a plague threatening the digital economy.”
“By helping Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Asia-Pacific, and the world move beyond passwords, we will create a safer environment for consumers and businesses alike. We can move past the threats of data breaches, and focus more on living our daily lives and resuming business online with passwordless authentication,” he said.
Furthermore, subject matter experts from Thailand, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan discussed local challenges and opportunities for the adoption of passwordless methods.
The FIDO Alliance is an open industry association that focuses on authentication standards to help reduce the world’s over-reliance on passwords. It promotes the development, use, and compliance with standards for authentication and device attestation.
The FIDO APAC Summit 2023 was jointly organised by the FIDO Alliance and VinCSS, and hosted by Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications.
Frontier Enterprise is a media partner of the FIDO APAC Summit 2023. Photos courtesy of FIDO Alliance, VinCSS, and MorEvents.
