SLCERT joins global partnership against cyber threats IMPACT

Sri Lanka CERT, the national CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) of Sri Lanka, has joined IMPACT an international organisation against cyber-terrorism. IMPACT is the world’s first global partnership dedicated to combating criminal and terrorist activities using information and communication technologies.

The International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) is an international public-private initiative dedicated to enhancing the global community’s capacity to prevent, defend and respond to cyber threats.  Modelled after the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, IMPACT coordinates the resources of governments, academia, industry leaders and individuals to go beyond political borders.

IMPACT was launched in 2007 by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary-General, Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré under the ITU Global Cyber Security Agenda (GCA) which is a framework for international cooperation aimed at enhancing confidence and security in the information society.

In order to respond properly to the five areas identified by the GCA, as well as to follow up on ITU’s work to assist countries in developing cyber security capabilities, ITU will work with IMPACT to make the following resources available to ITU Member States: Global Response Centre, Training and Skills Development, Centre for Security Assurance and Research, Centre for Policy and International Cooperation

The first service that has been made available is the Global Response Centre (GRC).

The GRC is designed to be the foremost cyber threat resource centre in the world. Working with leading partners including academia and governments, the Centre will provide the global community with a real-time aggregated early warning system. This “Network Early Warning System’ (NEWS) will help member countries identify cyber threats early on and provide critical guidance on what measures to take to mitigate them.

Reshan Dewapura, Chief Executive Officer of ICTA , which established SL CERT, formally accepted the invitation to be a member of IMPACT on behalf of Sri Lanka CERT - which reflects an appreciation of SLCERT’s expertise in the area of combating threats and providing information security services in the IT industry.

Commenting on this landmark event, Anusha Palpita, Director General of the Telecom regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said “We have been active members of ITU for a number of years and as such we are proud to be associated with this new initiative. ITU, through its Telecommunication Development Sector, has gained significant experience in facilitating the establishment of national strategies for Cyber Security and critical information infrastructure protection, including capacity development, and can draw on an extensive network of leading Cyber Security authorities.”

Formed in 2006, the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Response Team (SLCERT), a fully owned subsidiary of the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, is a semi-government entity mandated with the protection of Information and Information Systems within the state sector, while extending its services to the private sector and general public. Its services range from responding to and investigating information security breaches, to preventing security breaches by way of awareness creation, security assessments and security capability building. It is a full member and the national point of contact, for both the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) and the Forum of Incident Response Security Teams (FIRST), which are regional and global associations, respectively, formed to coordinate security efforts between nations. For more information please see www.slcert.gov.lk