Thailand skyrocketed to seventh place in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) this year from 44th in the 2020 ranking, with 194 countries rated, according to the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA).
The GCI is administered by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with 46 countries including Thailand deemed tier 1.
Thailand made great strides in the index, which should raise the confidence and trust of businesses and foreign investors in terms of cybersecurity, which is a crucial factor for supporting digital transactions, e-government services and the country's digital competitiveness, said Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong.
Mr Prasert said Thailand tallied a total score of 99.22 out of 100, moving up 37 places from 2020 when it scored 86.5.
The ITU study evaluated the countries in five pillars, each allotted 20 points: legal, technical, organisational, capacity development and cooperation measures.
For Southeast Asia tier 1, Indonesia ranked first, Singapore second, Vietnam third, Thailand seventh and Malaysia 10th.
The tier 1 countries represent countries that obtained an overall GCI score of at least 95/100 by demonstrating a strong cybersecurity commitment to coordinated and government-driven actions that encompass evaluating, establishing and implementing certain generally accepted cybersecurity measures across all five pillars or up to all indicators.
AVM Amorn Chomchoey, secretary-general of NCSA, said the agency increased the country's capacity in self-defence, preparedness for cyberthreats to critical information infrastructure, and skills training as well as cybersecurity-related certification.
He said Thailand could adapt to new emerging threats and create infrastructure and increase cybersecurity immunity.
Moreover, the NCSA is developing a malware information-sharing platform for collecting and exchanging threat intelligence among related regulators and agencies for early warning when unknown new attacks are detected. This represents a more proactive move in carrying out total cyber-defence.
The ITU study noted cybersecurity issues have become a more prominent cost for businesses: the average global cost for a data breach was estimated at US$4.45 million in 2023.
The study indicated increased ransomware attacks targeting government services and other critical sectors in many countries.
The ITU predicts these breaches affecting core industries. The scale, frequency and intensity of cybersecurity incidents or breaches affects individuals and various sectors including education, manufacturing, energy and IT services.
The study noted IT disruptions affect the integrity and availability of systems, services and supply chains.
