Boosting Cybersecurity Across Asia and the Pacific

In Bangladesh, the program combines large-scale cyber hygiene training with university-based cybersecurity support. Working with SAJIDA Foundation, it delivers in-person and online learning that helps entrepreneurs identify risks and adopt safer digital practices. More than 63,850 people have received training to date.

A complementary cybersecurity clinic at North South University prepares students in digital hygiene, risk assessment, and incident response. Students then provide pro bono support to small businesses and nonprofits, strengthening organizational data protection while building Bangladesh’s future cybersecurity workforce.

Korea serves as both a training hub and a foundation for wider regional cybersecurity collaboration. Flexible online learning and practical training help entrepreneurs—particularly those from small businesses—understand cyber risks, strengthen foundational skills, and protect increasingly digital operations.

More than 1,000 people representing more than 700 MSMEs have participated. Women entrepreneurs and people from other underrepresented groups account for 52 percent of trainees, while improvements to the self-paced learning model have increased course completion.

In India, the program operates at scale while connecting practical training with institutional capacity building, research, and policy engagement. Working with the Foundation for MSME Clusters, CUTS International, CyberPeace Foundation, and Asia Pacific Consulting and Advisory, it delivers locally relevant training through trusted business and community networks.

Cyber hygiene training has reached more than 80,000 MSMEs—half of them women-led-across 20 states and 70 districts, using six regional languages. Partnerships with more than 75 business membership organizations help extend digital safety guidance through established local institutions. The program also equips policymakers and elected representatives to address cybersecurity, artificial intelligence risks, digital fraud, and cyber resilience, while generating evidence on the barriers that prevent small businesses from adopting stronger protections.

In Malaysia, the program focuses on making cybersecurity accessible to micro and small businesses, nonprofits, social enterprises, and underserved communities that increasingly rely on digital tools but often lack practical protection against online threats. After a yearlong effort to localize and curate the curriculum, TAF launched cyber hygiene training in Malaysia with a training-of-trainers workshop in 2025.

The training aims to equip five local partners to reach 30,000 individuals across Malaysia, with the goal of supporting these participants to recognize phishing scams, data breaches, device hijacking, and other everyday cyber risks. By framing cybersecurity as a shared responsibility and a foundation for economic resilience, the program helps smaller organizations and community members participate more safely and confidently in Malaysia’s digital economy.

Pakistan is pioneering a university-led clinic model that addresses two needs simultaneously: practical cybersecurity support for underserved organizations and hands-on workforce preparation for students. Working with universities, industry partners, and local organizations, the clinics train students to apply their skills in real-world settings. Students support MSMEs and nonprofits with cybersecurity needs, helping participating organizations strengthen their resilience while developing a pipeline of professionals equipped to respond to Pakistan’s evolving digital economy.

In the Philippines, the program combines broad-based community training with a new university clinic model. A network of local partners delivers practical cyber hygiene training to MSMEs, public institutions, and civil society organizations, helping them recognize threats and operate more securely online.

To date, the program has equipped 60,000 Filipinos representing 30,000 organizations with cybersecurity skills. A pilot clinic with De La Salle University complements this reach by preparing students to provide practical support to organizations and pursue careers in cybersecurity.

Sri Lanka combines cyber hygiene training, locally grounded research, and university-based clinics to strengthen both immediate protection and the wider cybersecurity ecosystem. Training is expected to reach 13,200 people, including participants from 8,000 MSMEs, with practical guidance on safeguards such as digital asset inventories, regular data backups, and two-factor authentication.

Research helps identify policy and regulatory gaps affecting smaller organizations. Cybersecurity clinics piloted with Uva Wellassa University and the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology provide additional support while giving students opportunities to apply their skills in practice.

In Vietnam, the program focuses on translating a strong national cybersecurity policy framework into practical protection for MSMEs and household businesses. Its work responds to the everyday risks businesses encounter as they adopt e-commerce, digital payments, social media sales, and platform-based services-including phishing, fake websites, data leaks, and online fraud.

The program treats cybersecurity as a business resilience issue rather than solely a technical one. Training, research, policy dialogue, cybersecurity clinics, and ecosystem partnerships are used to develop simpler business guidance, proportionate compliance pathways, and more accessible support. The program also works to embed cyber readiness within existing MSME systems, including business training, registration, finance, and credit-linked services.