KINGSTON, Nov. 10 (JIS): The Government is putting in place more measures to protect the country from cybercriminal activities, with one set to come on stream by mid December, and the launch of the Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT) by next year.
Technical and other support for the cyber defence mechanisms have been provided by the Organization of American States (OAS), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
“The Government has developed a strategy…the document is pretty much complete, and we anticipate launching in the first or second week of December,” said Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Julian Robinson.
He was delivering the opening address at the start of a three-day workshop on Cyber Incident Investigation and Analysis, held today (November 10) at the National Intelligence Bureau in downtown Kingston.
“We are also quite advanced with the implementation of our Cyber Emergency Response Team. We are in the process of procuring the equipment, and I anticipate, sometime next year we will be able to launch the CERT, even at a basic level,” the State Minister noted.
Mr. Robinson pointed out that the Government is investing heavily in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and with that, the country also has to beef up its capability to respond to cybercriminal activities, by putting in the necessary infrastructure, as criminals focus on countries with weak cybercrime detection.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that all citizens are aware of the cyber threats out there. We are investing a lot in technology, we are doing our Tablets in School project, we are moving transaction online, and there is an increased danger of
cybercriminal activities with those activities going online,” he said.
The State Minister informed that intensified public education will be ongoing, so that the public can protect themselves from criminal activities on the Internet, and pointed out that amending the Cybercrimes Act will close existing “loopholes” for criminals.
“This is to ensure that it represents best practices internationally, so that we can empower our prosecutors and our law enforcement officials to successfully go after
cybercriminals,” Mr. Robinson emphasised.
