Islands co-operate over threat of cyber-attacks

Islands co-operate over threat of cyber-attacks

The first step has been to commission a consultancy specialising in cyber-resilience to recommend a model for an ‘incident response capability’ which would be the first port of call for victims of cyber-attack in Jersey or Guernsey.

Multinational consultants Atkins will speak to a range of groups during the next three months, including representatives of government, critical national infrastructure [utilities like water, electricity, telecoms and gas] and the local business communities. Atkins are expected to deliver a report with their recommendations by the end of the year.

This first phase of work follows the publication of Jersey’s cyber-security strategy in February 2017, which stated that ‘the government will create a single point of contact for all on-Island organisations to request assistance in case of any cyber-security incident’. However, the decision was subsequently taken to pool resources between Jersey and Guernsey, with a view to achieving better, more cost-effective results for both islands.

Chief Minister John Le Fondré said: ‘The government is committed to ensuring that Jersey remains a safe place to live and do business online.

‘The development of an appropriate incident response capability was a key commitment in our cyber-security strategy and an ambition we share with our colleagues in Guernsey.

‘Since both islands published their cyber-security strategies, we have worked to establish a close relationship with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and launch a Channel Islands section of the UK’s cyber-information- sharing platform. This project is another excellent example of how we can deliver better outcomes by working together.’

The president of Guernsey’s Committee for Home Affairs, Mary Lowe, added: ‘This is an important piece of work and an excellent example of Guernsey and Jersey working together on issues where there are clear cross-overs between the two islands.

‘Since the publication of our cyber-strategy late last year, we have worked with the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure that, for the first time, we can call on them for support if there is a major cyber-attack. Equally, while we already have on-Island capability to react and manage lower level attacks, we need to ensure that we can deal with a far wider range, given the ever-increasing threat such attacks pose.’

Members of the public are also invited to contribute to the review by emailing cybersecurity@gov.je.

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