Jamaicans Benefitting from Enhanced Cyber Defence Capabilities

Millions of Jamaicans, both at home and abroad, are benefitting from the country’s strengthened cyber defence capabilities through the work of the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC).

Managed by the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT), the Centre serves as a coordinating body for the country’s cybersecurity efforts, and is focused on monitoring, detecting, and responding to cyber threats to protect critical infrastructure.

Director of the JaCIRT, Lt. Col. (Retired) Godphey Sterling, said the entity pools together cyber security resources to monitor the cyber space where many Jamaicans interact.

“We are able to see vulnerabilities and anomalies, provide roadmaps or playbooks to respond to certain incidents and analyse malware and the actions of adversaries. This allows us to quickly identify who the perpetrators are and to modify our response when an incident occurs,” he told JIS News.

Lt. Col. Sterling said that Jamaica also plays a key role in global cyber security cooperation, serving as the single point of contact for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS).

The Centre interacts with international countries such as the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

“This is geared towards managing our cyber threat landscape,” the Director said.

He noted that the work of the NSOC is vital in today’s digital environment.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s cyber-attack surface has widened, with more businesses, schools and citizens now relying on online services.