CERT Vanuatu (CERT VU), acting on behalf of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) to collaborate on cybersecurity and cybercrime responses in the country at the VANSEC house.

We’ve heard that data is the new oil, gold or <insert other precious commodity here>, but it’s what you do with data that determines its true value.

If they didn’t know it already, attendees at the Noumea 2018 Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams Technical Colloquium (FIRST TC) were shown a myriad of ways that data can be collected, interpreted, visualized and acted upon in what was the first FIRST TC to be held in the Pacific region.

The past six months have been particularly busy for cybersecurity activities in the Pacific, culminating in the launch of Vanuatu’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT VU) three weeks ago.

Vanuatu is the third economy in the Pacific to launch a national CERT following the lead of Papua New Guinea (2018) and Tonga (2016). APNIC has played a role in establishing each of the three CERTs, providing assistance on strategy development and training to those involved in setting up and running them.

New Zealand and Australian Ministers for Foreign Affairs have announced a joint commitment to partner with Pacific Island countries to enhance our collective cyber resilience.

Both Australia and New Zealand reaffirmed their commitment to work with Pacific Island countries to support an open, free and secure internet that drives economic growth, protects national security and promotes international stability.

Australia has committed to working hand in hand to increase Vanuatu’s ability to respond to significant cyber incidents, says Johanna Weaver, Assistant Secretary Cyber Affairs Branch, DFAT.

Australia supported and engaged in the Asia Pacific regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF) that was hosted for the first time in the Pacific by Vanuatu.

A recent 3-day Cybersecurity conference at Warwick, Le Lagon sought to review and improve cyber strategies in Vanuatu.

The conference which was hosted by the Oceania Cyber security Centre, based in Victoria, Australia, saw Government and private sector representatives from the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) departments attending the event.