December 20th, 2014 -- The Organization of American States (OAS) has deployed a team of experts to Kingston, Jamaica, at the request of the country´s government, to provide cyber security incident management support and to help establish the country’s National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), as part of a broader initiative by the OAS Cyber Security Program which includes the creation of a National Cyber Security Strategy.
The request to deploy this team of experts came from the highest level at the Jamaican Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (MSTEM) and involved cooperation from the Hemispheric Network of CERTs of the OAS, specifically technical support from the Uruguayan National Cyber Security Response Team (CERTuy). Experts from Uruguay and the OAS General Secretariat are currently providing guidance to local officials on cyber security incident management procedures.
Neil Klopfenstein, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) reiterated the willingness of the OAS to support Jamaica in its cyber security endeavors and highlighted his appreciation to the government of Uruguay for the assistance it is providing to Jamaica and more generally, to cyber security development in the Americas. In addition, he highlighted that in the upcoming weeks the OAS will provide equipment to assist Jamaica in its preparations.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining of Jamaica, Julian Robinson, said due to recent cyber security concerns in the country, “the Ministry moved to implement several measures to safeguard against cyber attacks. The Government of Jamaica is extremely grateful that the OAS was able to respond at very short notice and deploy cyber security experts to assist us in dealing with the threats posed by cyber criminals.” Steps outlined by Minister Robinson included working with the OAS and Uruguay and engaging the Communications, Forensics Cybercrimes Unit (CFCU) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), to begin a criminal investigation.
It is expected that in the coming weeks the Government of Jamaica will officially adopt a National Cyber Security Strategy. Work on the initiative began in March 2014 with the technical support of the OAS Cyber Security Program, as well with the support of the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative, the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organization, and the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre of University of Oxford.
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Jamaica News