Government to Establish Council to Strengthen Cyber Resilience

The Government is moving to establish the National Cybersecurity Coordination Assurance Council, as part of efforts to strengthen Jamaica’s cyber resilience.

“We will be taking to Cabinet, a proposal to establish the National Cybersecurity Coordination Assurance Council. It will be a lean council in the Office of the Prime Minister set up for 24 months with members from government, the security forces, regulators, the private sector, academia and the Office of the Information Commissioner,” Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley, said.

He was addressing Wednesday’s (September 30) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in St. Andrew, where he launched National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which will be observed throughout October.

“The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management will also have a seat at the table because a major cyber incident is a national emergency and must be planned for like just any other national emergency,” the Minister said.

Dr. Wheatley noted that the Council’s full mandate and work programme will be set out once Cabinet has approved the proposal, “but what I can tell you today is its purpose and that is to turn the plans we already have into action and to prepare ground for a permanent National Cybersecurity Authority”.

He said that in 2020, Jamaica was rated at around 40 per cent in terms of national cybersecurity maturity against 70 per cent for the regional leader, noting that achievements have been made in closing that gap.

He pointed out that the Jamaica Cybersecurity Standards Framework is complete and the National Cyber Instant Response Plan is ready.

“We have secured some US$10 million through the Strengthening Cybersecurity in Jamaica Project and work is now under way for a new cybersecurity law,” he said, and thanked the IDB for their support.

Meanwhile, he said 5.4 million attempted cyberattacks were recorded in Jamaica in the first three months of the year.

“In fact, in 2022, there were over 12 million attempts to break into the Jamaican system. By 2023, that number had climbed to some 43 million attempts. Last year alone, it passed 49 million attempts,” he said.

He urged Jamaicans to be vigilant and take steps to reduce exposure to cyber-attacks and protect themselves online.

“No council and no law can do this alone because most attacks still begin with one person, one message and one click. And that is why awareness matters and that is why we are emphasising it more than any other time during Cyber Awareness Month,” the Minister said.

“This year’s international campaign says it plainly, ‘don’t make it easy for them’, them meaning the attackers. We can take responsibility and reduce the risk by just following five simple habits. Use strong passwords and a password manager; use what we call multi-factor authentication; keep your software up to date and last but not least, always stop, think before you click. Let us spend this October making Jamaica a harder target as we officially launch National Cyber Awareness Month,” he said.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month will be observed under the theme ‘One Nation, Cyber Strong’.

The month-long observance is intended to raise awareness of cyberthreat, encourage safer online behaviour and strengthen Jamaica’s cyber resilience.