TORTOLA, BVI – In collaboration with the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), cyber specialists funded by the UK Government are conducting a national cyber security risk assessment (NCRA) and training programme to improve the resilience of the Virgin Islands in the event of a cyber attack.
The NCRA focuses on improving the cyber security of critical national infrastructure (CNI) and essential digital services in critical sectors such as government, telecoms, health, maritime, energy, transport, on which the Territory is increasingly dependent. The NCRA project is part of a wider UK Overseas Territories’ cyber programme which has been running since 2019 and funded by the UK Government’s Integrated Security Fund (ISF).
Taking place from 17 – 21 March, the UK team worked with DoIT to train them on the risk assessment process. On 18 March, DoIT hosted a workshop for 34 officials from across 13 departments within the Government of the Virgin Islands, who have critical assets that could be of interest to a cyber threat actor.
Having completed the training, DoIT now has the capability to run the NCRA across all critical sectors each year to build a valuable data set and measure the mitigation of identified risks. The NCRA also provides evidence for building business cases for greater investment to reduce the threats.
Governor of the British Virgin Islands, Daniel Pruce, said:
“Our digital world is interconnected and the threat from a cyber attack is very real – no country or organisation is immune. Cybersecurity is the key to protecting the Virgin Islands. Thanks to all the public officers who attended – by working together, you will ensure the Virgin Islands will be more resilient. Thanks also to the cyber specialists for sharing their knowledge with those who are crucial to the protection of the Territory’s critical infrastructure. Together, we are stronger and more equipped to tackle the growing cyber threats.”
