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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
The
Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States
(OAS), Albert Ramdin, noted that cyber attacks are taking place in the
region with “frightening frequency, sometimes with far reaching and
disastrous consequences,” in his remarks during the inauguration of a
sub regional cyber security management exercise taking place at the
headquarters of the OAS in Washington DC, in which Anne Witkowsky, the
Acting principal Deputy Coordinator for the Bureau of Counterterrorism
of the United States Department of State, also took part.
Upon
opening the exercise, organized by the Inter-American Committee against
Terrorism (CICTE) of the OAS, Assistant Secretary General Ramdin said
“the timing of this event is critical,” as there has been an increase in
cyber attacks in most OAS member states. “It is important to remember,”
he said, “that these attacks do not discriminate between nations big or
small, powerful or not, and can threaten the infrastructure of our
nations in unpredictable and undesirable ways. Cyber incidents target
all kinds of public and private entities regardless of political social
or economic factors. Therefore being unprepared for an attack leaves our
societies vulnerable.”
The exercise in responding to cyber security crises, which takes advantage of the OAS mobile crisis simulation laboratory,
has three objectives, explained the Assistant Secretary General. First,
it “will test officials’ abilities to analyze and mitigate the effects
of a well organized cyber incident targeting various types of critical
infrastructure.” Secondly, the exercise “will test communication
mechanisms between countries when responding to cyber incidents,” and
finally, it will “foster an exchange of best practices and
lessons-learned in responding to cyber threats, both technically and at
the policy-level.”
Since the first Crisis Management Exercise
(CME), which was organized by the OAS in Miami in 2011, there have been
seven more, in various countries throughout the Americas, noted
Ambassador Ramdin. Today, he added, “the world is much different, much
more complex, and our exercise has evolved to match those changing
realities.” Among the adjustments made, said the Assistant Secretary
General, are an upgrade of the infrastructure of the mobile lab and the
inclusion of policymakers in the exercises, to avoid “disconnect”
between policy and technical personnel during crises.
“Cyber
threats will continue in this Hemisphere,” said Assistant Secretary
General Ramdin in his conclusion. “That is a reality which we can
accept. The other reality which we have to establish is how we protect
ourselves, how we prepare ourselves for that situation.” The senior OAS
official expressed in particular his gratitude to the United States for
its support of the program, which he said had made the mobile lab “a
meaningful reality.”
For her part, Anne Witkowsky, Acting
Principal Deputy Coordinator for the Bureau of Counterterrorism of the
United States Department of State, said that “while the United States
has seen earlier demonstrations of the cyber security mobile lab, this
will be the first opportunity to gain for ourselves some hands on
experience with it as exercise participants with you.”
“Partnering
with other OAS member states in this first ever regional exercise will
be an excellent opportunity for us to explore our own policies and
procedures for responding to cyber threats as well as our abilities to
collaborate and coordinate responses with our partners in the Hemisphere
during a cyber incident,” said Witkowsky, who noted that her country is
the target of an ever-increasing number of cyber attacks.
The
State Department official commended the OAS and CICTE “for playing such a
critical role in the coordination of cyber security initiatives,
including capacity building and facilitating regional cooperation,” and
said the cyber security program of the Organization “has become a key
forum in the Americas for debate and the exchange of ideas about current
and future cyber security trends as well as providing practical
training. The United States will continue to support this important
program and we welcome the commitment of the OAS to support it as well.”
The
event brings together nearly 50 participants from 19 OAS member states
to take part in not only the crisis management exercises, but also
country updates and the sharing of best practices. Participants come
from diverse sectors, including Computer Security Incident Response Team
(CSIRT) members, policymakers, communications officers, and security
specialists, among others. The event will conclude on
Tuesday, June 25.
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org
© Copyright 2013 by thebahamasweekly.com
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