
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) of Myanmar has moved to bolster cyber prevention and defence capabilities through a security-focused partnership with SK Telecom.
Terms of the contract will see the South Korean provider deploy a team of cyber security specialists to Myanmar to consult on the "design and establishment" of a security operation centre (SOC) at the government agency until the end of July.
Leveraging SK Telecom's 'Smart Guard' solution, the team will attempt to diagnose security vulnerabilities within NCSC’s existing cyber security infrastructure, alongside offering infrastructure security management guidance and advice.
This is in addition to the provision of SIEM (security information and event management) offerings developed by Korean security specialist Igloo Security. The solution will "collect and analyse" information - such as logs, errors and hacking - generated by diverse systems including servers, network equipment and applications.
“We are pleased to establish our SOC with SK Telecom’s advanced technology and know-how in infrastructure security,” said Ko Ye Naing Moe, director of NCSC. “We will work closely with SK Telecom to better protect Myanmar’s national intelligence and intelligence resources."
Operating as an agency under the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Myanmar, NCSC is tasked with safeguarding national intelligence against cyber threats, including hacking and distributed denial-of-service (DDos) attacks, as well as protecting the nation’s information and communication networks.
“SK Telecom will work closely with the NCSC to build a sophisticated security operation system in Myanmar to strengthen its protection against the ever-increasing cyber threats,” said Shim Sang-soo, vice president of Infra Business at SK Telecom. “Going forward, armed with strong cyber security capabilities, we will seek further business opportunities in other Asian markets."
Following the export of services to Myanmar - which Sang-soo said serves as a "strategic hub" connecting the emerging ASEAN markets - SK Telecom expects to expand security reach across other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam and Thailand.