- Threat intelligence: Google Cloud and NCSA will engage in threat intelligence sharing to support government-wide cyber defense operations. This includes NCSA being provided with access to Google Threat Intelligence, which includes Mandiant’s frontline threat intelligence and VirusTotal’s threat database. This will enrich the government’s understanding of new and prevalent tactics, techniques, and procedures used by cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors targeting public sector entities.
- Incident response expertise: Mandiant consultants will provide specialized hands-on training in areas like incident response, digital forensics, and malware analysis to qualified information security professionals from public sector entities selected by NCSA. These professionals will be equipped with skills to rapidly detect, triage, and respond to sophisticated threats and intrusion scenarios, expanding the pool of cyber defense experts within Thailand’s public sector while reinforcing its readiness to combat future cyber challenges.
Protecting Thai citizens and residents from unsafe websites
Beyond national cyber defense, the collaboration will further enhance online safety for individual users. NCSA and Google Cloud plan to integrate Google Cloud Web Risk into government workflows to protect Thai citizens and residents from online scam and phishing websites.
Web Risk APIs will provide the government with real-time threat intelligence on sites that host malware or other types of unsafe web resources. This information will be used to augment NCSA’s existing capabilities, enabling its teams to evaluate a higher volume of websites, proactively block user access to dangerous URLs, warn users about unsafe links, and prevent the spread of harmful content.
Annop Siritikul, Country Director, Thailand, Google Cloud, said: “Thailand’s digital economy is set to grow from US$46 billion in 2024 to at least US$100 billion by 2030. At Google Cloud, we believe we can contribute meaningfully toward the collective cyber defense that’s required to safeguard this future growth. We look forward to partnering deeply with MDES and NCSA to deliver scalable, next-generation cybersecurity solutions. By bringing together Mandiant’s frontline threat intelligence and expertise with Google Cloud’s AI advancements for security, we’ll continue to help governments around the world supercharge security operations and respond holistically to keep their citizens and critical assets safe.”
Enhanced mobile security measures to combat call-based scams
During Safer Songkran in 2024, MDES and Google established Thailand as one of the first countries globally to implement a new anti-scam feature in Google Play Protect. This feature has since blocked more than 6.6 million installation attempts of potentially malicious apps from internet-sideloading sources on more than 1.4 million Android devices in Thailand.
Further reinforcing its commitment to online safety, Google has implemented additional mobile security measures in conjunction with this year’s Safer Songkran. By default, the toggle switch for turning off Play Protect’s app scanning feature will now be disabled during standard phone calls, as well as voice and video calls within popular third-party apps. These new measures directly combat the rise of cybercriminals using social engineering tactics during calls with users to deceive them into turning off Play Protect to download malicious apps from internet-sideloading sources.
Safer Songkran is a Safer with Google initiative that equips Thais with essential knowledge and tools to protect themselves against online scams and phishing.
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About National Cyber Security Agency (Thailand)
The National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) of Thailand is the principal organization dedicated to enhancing the nation’s cybersecurity readiness and resilience. Established under the Cybersecurity Act of 2019, NCSA works to safeguard Thailand’s critical information infrastructure (CII) and ensure national security in the face of evolving cyber threats. NCSA formulates cybersecurity policies, coordinates incident response, and fosters collaboration between public and private sectors. By partnering with global cybersecurity organizations, international computer emergency response teams (CERTs), and law enforcement agencies, NCSA strives to protect the country's digital infrastructure, promote public safety, and maintain Thailand’s leadership in cybersecurity on the global stage. Learn more on NCSA’s website and Facebook page.
About Google Cloud
Google Cloud is the new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud offers a powerful, fully integrated and optimized AI stack with its own planet-scale infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platform, as well as AI-powered applications, to help organizations transform. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.
