• Today: September 17, 2026

Resilience cannot be an afterthought, says minister

Resilience cannot be an afterthought added only after an incident has occurred. It must be designed into systems from the very beginning from architecture and procurement, to development, deployment and operations. Ultimately, it must be embedded into the cybersecurity culture of every organisation entrusted with national responsibility. This is what it means to be resilient by design.

Cyber Security Brunei (CSB) is currently strengthening the guidance available to Government, Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) owners and industry. This includes the updated Code of Practice for Critical Information Infrastructure, complemented by two newly introduced areas of policy guidance namely the AI Security Policy Guidelines and the Secure by Design Policy Guidelines.

The importance of being ‘Resilient By Design’ in cybersecurity was highlighted by Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Dato Seri Setia Awang Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yunos, who is Minister in-charge of Cybersecurity, in his keynote address as the guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the 4th Brunei Cybersecurity Conference (CySec 2026) yesterday.

He also explained two newly introduced areas of policy guidance, with the first being ‘AI Security Policy Guidelines’. “As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded across the government, industry and society, we must ensure its adoption takes place within a clear and responsible governance framework.”

He added, “Importantly, we must look beyond today’s generative AI towards agentic and autonomous AI understanding not only the risks these technologies may introduce, but also how they can strengthen our own cybersecurity capabilities. Our objective should not be to hold back innovation, but to ensure we can embrace it safely, responsibly and confidently.”

The second, the minister said, “is ‘Secure by Design Policy Guidelines’. This brings the theme of our conference directly into practice by embedding security considerations throughout the entire lifecycle of a system from its earliest design and procurement, through development and deployment and ultimately into its operation.”

He continued, “This becomes even more relevant as AI-assisted software development makes application creation increasingly accessible. Innovation should be encouraged. But greater accessibility must be accompanied by greater responsibility.”

He added, “Taken together, the updated Code of Practice for CII, the AI Security Policy Guidelines and the Secure by Design Policy Guidelines will provide an increasingly coherent foundation for organisations to build and operate systems that are resilient by design.”

He also encouraged CSB to progressively develop more sector-specific guidance, recognising that the cybersecurity realities of energy, finance, healthcare and transport are not necessarily the same. Similarly, efforts to harmonise incident-reporting requirements should continue, so that response becomes clearer, more consistent and more coordinated across all sectors.

Dato Seri Setia Awang Mohd Riza also acknowledged, “But national cyber resilience cannot belong to government and CII alone. Our businesses, particularly our small and medium enterprises, form the backbone of our digital economy and are themselves increasingly exposed to cyber threats. They too must be equipped to protect themselves.”

He noted the introduction of TERAS Siber by CSB, the national baseline cybersecurity certification scheme for organisations of all sizes.

Its five pillars – Trusted Access, Endpoint Defence, Resilient Data, Active Response and Secure Culture translate cybersecurity into practical, understandable measures that organisations can adopt.

He shared, “Our longer-term ambition should extend beyond national adoption. As Brunei Darussalam participates in an increasingly integrated ASEAN digital economy, we should work towards greater regional recognition of such standards and certifications, supporting our businesses as they diversify and scale across Southeast Asia. This broader question of trust is equally important as we advance the aspirations of Digital Brunei 2030. Digital transformation can only succeed when citizens and businesses have confidence in the systems they use.”

The ongoing implementation of Brunei ID, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, he noted “is an important part of this trusted digital ecosystem, providing the foundation for a single authoritative digital identity while enabling safer and more convenient access and services for citizens and businesses. As more issuers and verifiers of digital credentials are progressively onboarded across government, industry and academia, that foundation of trust will become increasingly vital to our wider digital economy.”

He also noted that CSB is developing the Brunei National Cybersecurity Competency Framework, or BNCCF, based on the internationally recognised NIST NICE Framework. “Expected, Insya Allah, by the first quarter of 2027, this framework will map the knowledge, skills and abilities required across cybersecurity roles and establish clearer career pathways for our professionals. This should complement our wider national efforts to strengthen ICT competencies and help us develop cybersecurity not merely as a technical occupation, but as a sustainable and respected professional career pathway.”

Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law) Dato Seri Setia Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu was also present.

Themed ‘Resilient by Design: Protecting Critical Infrastructure’, Cysec 2026 was jointly organised by CSB and the Brunei Cybersecurity Association, supported by the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications. 

Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Dato Seri Setia Awang Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yunos, who is Minister in-charge of Cybersecurity, speaks at the event. PHOTO: JAMES KON
A section of the attendees. PHOTO: JAMES KON

 

SOURCE/AUTHOR : BORNEO BULLETIN/JAMES KON

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