JACIRT Committed To Cybersecurity Response

The Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCirt) remains committed to providing cybersecurity support and management on behalf of the Government to the entire country and Jamaicans in the diaspora.

“We have some of the best resources here and a competent and dedicated team,” Head of JaCirt, Lt. Col. Godphey Sterling said.

He noted that “even though our main reason is to respond to incidents with a national impact, given the nature of cyber incident response and management in Jamaica, we also provide assistance to individuals who report an incident to us,” he said.

Lt. Col. Sterling, who was participating in a recent Twitter Space discussion said that the entity maintains an open-door policy, noting that the coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols are being observed to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

In addition to the walk-in option, the public can also reach out to JACirt via its website, www.cirt.gov.jm, where persons are invited to fill out an incident reporting form. Complainants may also call the office at 876-920-4516 or make contact through the organisation’s social media pages.

“Once a report is made, we will determine whether or not a crime has been committed. And if that has happened, we will refer [the case] to the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force. If a crime was not committed, then we will work with the victim to arrive at a plausible resolution as much as possible,” Lt. Col. Sterling said.

At the same time, he is reminding Jamaicans to take precautionary actions to prevent themselves from falling victims to cybercrime. Popular attacks in recent times include denial of service, ransomware, phishing, and supply chain attacks.

Persons are encouraged to update their devices in good time and use virtual private network (VPN) to protect their data when conducting personal transactions over public Wi-Fi, among other things.