Trinidad and Tobago – National Insurance Board (NIB) praised for handling cyber attack.
The National Insurance Board (NIB) office on Harris Promenade was closed due to a ransomware attack, at the end of December. The UNC deputy political leader Jearlean John praised the National Insurance Board for how it handled the cyber attack.
The Opposition will keep an open mind concerning cyber security legislation which the Government plans to bring to Parliament. The NIB engaged local and foreign experts for help and the NIB stated that “all steps are being taken to protect our data integrity and technology hardware.”
The company added, “We are also continuing to diligently work with our external technology partners to expeditiously resolve this matter.”
The NIB said it reported the incident to the National Security Ministry’s TT Cyber Security Incident Response Team (TT-CSIRT) and is working with them toward a resolution.
Jearlean John claimed the NIB’s approach was better than that taken by the Telecommunications Services of TT (TSTT) two months earlier when it experienced a similar cyber incident. “They (NIB) have been upfront and said they have been hacked.”
Speaking in the Senate on November 7, Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales said the Government had mandated TSTT’s board to do a thorough and independent investigation.
Additionally, TSTT is still in the process of evaluating all aspects of the attack, including the validation of all reported information in the public domain, that is the personal data of all our citizens, inclusive of members of the Cabinet and parliamentarians.”
As the results of the investigation, Gonzales promised “to provide further clarity on this ongoing situation to the national community.”
The government is preparing “a cybercrime legislative package that will replace the existing Computer Misuse Act.”
Armour said, “The most notable legislative reforms include the advancement of computer-related crimes, seeking to protect against the involvement of our youth in this type of criminal activity and the need to streamline our laws with that of international legal advancements.”
This legislative package that will replace the Computer Misuse Act will “accommodate the robust criminalisation of cybercrimes through new advances of information and communication technologies.”
A stronger legislation to thwart cybercriminals was just one part of the solution towards strengthening cyber security. The government suggests public and private sector companies do regular reviews of their cyber security measures to ensure they are operating properly.
During a meeting of the Parliament’s Social Services and Public Administration Committee meeting on December 11, its members were told about 200 cyber attacks on public and private sector entities over the last five years and no legislation to define these incidents as crimes and help the authorities bring the perpetrators to justice.
Source: Newsday – Trinidad and Tobago