CIRT Division to Stage Cybersecurity Exercise Oct. 28

Jamaica’s national cybersecurity response capabilities will be tested on October 28 and 29, to assess the country’s ability to coordinate its response to a national catastrophe involving cyber incidents.

The activity, called Cybersecurity Exercise 2026 (CyberXJM26), will be led by the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) Division.

Director of the CIRT Division, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Godphey Sterling, said the activity will bring together stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia, critical infrastructure and the wider cybersecurity community.

“We want to see that entities understand their roles, and that they understand how the ecosystem is meant to function in high-stress situations with national impact,” Lt. Col. Sterling told JIS News.

CyberXJM26 will combine an open capture-the-flag competition with a national interoperability simulation designed to test how agencies coordinate their responses. The competition will comprise four divisions, with teams of three to five participants.

The exercise will be conducted in three phases, with a 24-hour online qualifying round and simulation on October 28, followed by an air-gapped final and a hotwash to review performance and lessons learnt.

The four divisions will target schoolchildren, university students, ethical hackers and bug bounty hunters, as well as organisations involved in cybersecurity and incident response.

Lt. Col. Sterling noted that the simulation will also assess how agencies and other stakeholders can share information, coordinate their actions and combine resources to address cyber incidents affecting multiple organisations or sectors.

It will also examine how participants understand their responsibilities, including the legal requirements and safeguards governing the activities of ethical hackers and bug bounty hunters.

Lt. Col. Sterling said the exercise was informed by challenges that emerged after Hurricane Melissa, including disruptions to infrastructure, the restoration of services and the provision of satellite connectivity.

“What we want to test very seriously is the coordination mechanisms,” he said, highlighting the need for agencies to work together to strengthen the country’s response to cyber incidents.