Strengthening the nation's cyber defenses is not just a technical necessity but a fundamental pillar for the success and growth of the Maldives' burgeoning digital economy, Minister of State for Homeland Security and Technology, Dr Mohamed Kinanath has said.
Dr Kinanath made the statement during the inauguration of a significant new cybersecurity training programme. The joint initiative, launched by the National Cybersecurity Agency and the National Telecommunications Union, has a dual focus-equipping specialised teams to combat cyber threats and educating stakeholders on safeguarding children navigating social media platforms.
"National cybersecurity is essential to safeguarding national and economic security and ensuring the uninterrupted continuity of government agencies and vital infrastructure works," he emphasised, underscoring the strategic importance of institutions like the national Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT).
He stated that the newly launched training programme would provide a vital platform to study and discuss the main issues and opportunities surrounding both child protection online and national CSIRT capabilities.
Highlighting the global scale of one challenge, Dr Kinanath stressed the need for a broader view and coordinated national-level efforts to shield Maldivian children from digital dangers while empowering them to harness the internet's positive opportunities.
He identified online threats to children and broader cyber threats as among the biggest security threats facing Maldivian society, adding that assessing the current cyber landscape is a crucial opportunity for the nation.
The intensive three-day training programme, attended by representatives from various government agencies, is designed to significantly bolster national cyber resilience. Key modules include building critical information infrastructure protection, defining the national CSIRT's role, establishing a Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) or Security Operations Center (SOC) using open-source tools, cyber threat intelligence fundamentals, and crucially, strategies for protecting children online.