These changes, coupled with trade restrictions on critical technologies like semiconductors and the blacklisting of Chinese tech firms, cast a spotlight on state-sponsored cyber campaigns, exposing how governments weaponise digital tools for economic and political leverage. What was once the domain of IT departments has since become a key battleground in a new “Cold War.”
Cyber risk has long been a critical concern for businesses, and the return of Donald Trump to the White House places new urgency on understanding its implications in Southeast Asia.
Ahead of his first presidency, Trump declared, “We have to get very, very tough on cyber and cyber warfare.” His first stint in the Oval Office, during which time he established the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), delivered on this sentiment. In a stark departure from the previous administration’s emphasis on raising awareness to counter cyber threats, Trump’s first administration adopted a more assertive cyber response to malicious activity.
