ATTENTION - UPDATES with signing ///

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28, 2006 (AFP) - Asia's top security forum on Friday announced sweeping plans to prevent cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and the abuse of online resources by terrorists. The Associations of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, which includes the United States, Russia and China and is known as ARF, moved to boost counter-terrorism measures at its annual meeting in Malaysia. The group adopted a statement saying that the misuse of computer resources by terrorists was a "destructive and devastating form and manifestation of global terrorism." It said the problem was made worse by increased connectivity betwen countries in the region, and that the 26 member nations would establish an ARF-wide alert network on cyber-related crimes. The network would "facilitate the real-time exchange of threat and vulnerability assessment and issuance of required warnings and patches," it said. Countries also pledged to share intelligence, expertise and skills on fighting cyber-crime, and look at laws to prevent terrorist attacks being planned or encouraged through computer networks. Member nations would also make efforts to draw up cyber-crime and cyber-security laws and implement national frameworks to address criminal and terrorist uses of online networks. Security experts say Southeast Asia is vulnerable to Internet-based attacks and that the region is not properly prepared for a high-tech assault. Analysts also say regional terrorist outfits are not yet capable of mounting such an assault, but that they are increasingly using the Internet to recruit members, raise funds and coordinate attacks. ey/sls/mc