Reviewing cybersecurity capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Tuvalu conducts its first national cybersecurity capacity review

Authors:

• Mr. Opetaia Simati, Director, Department of ICT, Ministry of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs, Tuvalu
• Dr. James Boorman, Head of Research and Capacity Building, OCSC
• Dr. Joanne Mihelcic, Research Fellow, OCSC

March 2021, Tuvalu, Funafuti. The world has changed. COVID-19 has had a profound and disastrous impact on communities, health, and the economy globally. Recovery for many will be more about adapting to this new way of life rather than returning to how things were before.

The adoption of digital technology and Internet connectivity continues across the globe, enabling social and economic benefits. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this change at a pace that no one was prepared for. Many countries in the world like Tuvalu, are experiencing an ever-increasing need for more equitable access to technologies within a safer and more secure digital environment which protects their rights, their information, and the national infrastructure.

The ability for society to adapt in a digital world extends beyond the use of technology. Building a digitally resilient nation requires comprehensive planning,  robust and extensive infrastructure, and sufficient resources to develop and implement national strategy and policy that considers the local culture; attitudes toward digital technology; education; regulation and legislation; and technical controls. For Tuvalu, this journey towards digital resilience is being supported by the Oceania Cyber Security Centre (OCSC) in Melbourne, Australia.

In Tuvalu, the Ministry of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs has a vision for Tuvalu to actively participate in the global digital economy, not just consuming content but also creating it in the form of digital goods and services. Demonstrating the commitment to this vision, the Ministry has joined more than 80 countries across the world to prioritise understanding where they are now on the digital resilience journey by undertaking the first ever remote Cyber Security Capacity Maturity Model for Nations (CMM) Review in the Pacific. This was the first time that OCSC has conducted a remote review and the OCSC thank Mr. Opetaia Simati and the team at the Ministry of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs for the logistical support to ensure that the review was a success.

The CMM review was conducted by OCSC and took place over 4 days, involving discussions with more than 30 decision makers and technical personnel from: emergency response; criminal justice and law enforcement; education and civil society; critical infrastructure; government; and parliamentarians. The outcome of the review process will be a detailed report to the government with specific recommendations on next steps to strengthen existing capacity toward a safer and more secure cyberspace for all Tuvaluan citizens.

Typically, the OCSC travels to conduct reviews in-country. While this was not possible during the pandemic, as Tuvalu is free of COVID-19, participants in the review met as planned in their local conference room face-to-face, to talk and share experiences during the formal discussions with the OCSC team facilitating the focus group on the large video screen. The participants were able to continue to discuss their work and exchange ideas on the ground at the end of the session informally over coffee, cake and most importantly pizza.

Temporary technical issues with the Australian Internet connection aside, the review went smoothly. The hybrid approach of meeting in one place locally and the OCSC online enabled Tuvalu to conduct the review at least 12 months earlier than expected, while continuing to experience the benefits of informal face-to-face discussions with friends and colleagues away from the office.

The OCSC team look forward to the future when they can visit Tuvalu to say Talofa and discuss progress on recommendations from the report, join a game of volleyball and most importantly chat with the locals over pizza and coffee.

The OCSC CMM team are funded by the Victorian Government, Australia.