25 May 2010

Workshop addresses cyber security challenges

A two-day training workshop for Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-MU)and Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) is being held under the patronage of the National Cybercrime Prevention Committee at the Swami Vivekananda International Conference Centre, Pailles since yesterday.

The Committee is organising the training workshop to provide participants who are involved in cyber security activities with a better insight into the establishment and the functioning of the Computer Emergency/ Incident Response Team to enable the proactive and reactive handling and managing of computer incidents.

The National Cybercrime Prevention Committee is a working group established by government under the aegis of the Information and Communication Technology Authority with the mandate of addressing cyber crime issues. Its members comprise officials from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the Attorney General's Office, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, the Data Protection Office and the Police IT Unit. Its responsibilities include reviewing the state of play in fighting cyber crime and issuing implementable recommendations.

In his opening address yesterday morning, the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Mr T. Pillay Chedumbrum, announced that a Controller of Certification Authority would be operationalised soon to enable the carrying out of secured electronic transactions at government and businesses level. This initiative is a step further in government’s efforts to support the development of a trustworthy and competitive information economy in Mauritius.

The Minister recalled measures already introduced to combat cyber crime and transform Mauritius into an information-secure society so that it drives its way towards earning recognition at international level as a secure regional Information and Communication Technology hub. They include the introduction of appropriate legislations relating to cyber security, and the setting up of instances such as the national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-mu), a police unit dedicated to fight cyber crimes, a unit to address security of Government Information Systems as well as a Data Protection Office to protect privacy of data. Mr Pillay Chedumbrum stated that other legislations such as regulations regarding Child Online Safety and Spam Control are in the pipeline to further strengthen the legal arsenal.

The ICT minister also stressed the importance of protecting the rights of the vast majority of people who use ICT for legitimate purposes. He affirmed government’s commitment to strike the right balance between the need for efficient enforcement and the need to protect the privacy and freedom of expression of citizens while ensuring that great care is taken to ensure fairness and prevent abusive restrictions. He added that the fight against cyber crime needs not only to harness efforts of the public and private sectors in Mauritius but also seek bilateral collaboration between countries and with relevant international bodies.

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