OPENING STATEMENT BY THE A/PS COMMUNICATIONS TUPOU'TUAH BARAVILALA AT THE 2022 FNU CYBERSECURITY SYMPOSIUM

Bula vinaka and good morning.

It’s my pleasure to join you this morning for this year’s cybersecurity symposium – after a lapse of two years. The theme for this year is It’s easy to stay safe online. As the Ministry of Communications, we have a bird’s eye view of how the whole cyber ecosystem comes together – from guaranteeing an enabling environment -- to access to connectivity to -- digital transformation shifts while at the same time ensuring cybersecurity safeguards and measures to combat cybercrime are in place. In short, to ensure that our people have access to safe and meaningful connectivity and are empowered to utilise the opportunities that the internet provides.
 
This knowledge has affirmed my belief that all of us have a role to play in cybersecurity, and that it is crucial to work together to better defend our cyberspace. And I am confident that we can all rise to that challenge.
 
Before we unpack that, I’d like to share the work that the Government through the Ministry of Communications is doing in expanding meaningful connectivity and providing the foundational ICT components for sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development, as per our 5 Year and 20 Year National Development Plan.
 
Today, the world is vastly different -- where digital technology has encompassed every aspect of our lives and the pace at which this has taken place has also been further quickened by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, recent statistics have shown that 2.7 billion people worldwide are not connected to the online world and the opportunities that it presents.
 
In Fiji, we have 95% mobile internet connectivity through 3G, 4G and 4G+ networks and are already working on connecting the final 5% of our people who live in remote and maritime areas.
 
Our access to the Southern Cross Cable fiber optic network provides fast, direct, resilient, and secure connectivity and we’ve made investments to improve its speed, through the Southern Cross NEXT cable network. To strengthen our resilience and for diversity, we are currently undertaking a feasibility study for a second fibre cable landing station. Satellite services are a godsend for remote areas, connecting our most remote communities to the world through television and internet services, in addition to radio services through FM and AM transmission. Currently, Fiji has 100 per cent Digital Television coverage through terrestrial and satellite communications. Data prices have plummeted by 98%. These have effectively brought government services closer to our people through various digitalisation efforts under the digitalFIJI flagship programme and driven us towards a digital economy.
 
A Microsoft study has shown that by 2025, the global workforce is on the brink to add 149 million new technology-oriented jobs with emerging fields such as cloud and data roles, privacy and trust, software development, cybersecurity, and data analysis, machine learning and AI -- anticipated to groundswell. To sustain our digital transformation journey and to harness its benefits, universities play an important role and need to continue to ensure that programmes have practical relevance and graduates have work-ready skills to meet the demand in this sector coupled with industry placements. In fact, this will enable students to have genuine insight into the demands of this fast-paced sector and the multidisciplinary skillset required such as communication, analytical, and critical thinking, to name a few.
 
The shift to online spaces has presented a challenge -- the attack surface area has increased. We have seen emerging and evolving threats which are transboundary in nature and which have an impact on international peace and security and thereby, placing cybersecurity as a priority.
 
With the significant investments in ICTs, it has become even more critical to protect our digital infrastructure from the threat of cybercrime and to boost our cybersecurity efforts, together. Digital technologies are evolving as we speak, generating new changes and challenges, which is why collective effort will require even closer multi-stakeholder collaboration. For it to succeed, we must become as skilful at change as the technology that is briskly re-making digital spaces.
 
Cyber threats are increasingly becoming more cutting-edge, multi-faceted, targeted, and frequent in nature. Globally, it is assessed that almost US$950 billion was lost to cybercrime in 2020.
 
We have seen cyber-attacks crippling critical infrastructure such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack last year which lasted for several days and led to fuel shortages across the US East Coast and was the result of a compromised password of a VPN account. In July 2021, Kaseya, an IT software provider for enterprises which has a presence in 10 countries, became a victim of a supply chain ransomware attack whereby a malicious update was sent to its clients. This attack had a far-reaching impact as one of its clients, a Swedish supermarket chain was forced to close 800 stores for a full week. Earlier this year, Costa Rica issued a declaration of a National State of Emergency because of a series of ransomware attacks which crippled government services.
 
Recently, Optus had a data breach which resulted in up to 9.8 million customers’ details stolen and placed on the darkweb. Consequently, 10% of its customer base has changed service providers since the breach. Medibank, an insurance company had a data breach whereby 3.9 million customers’ data were exposed.
 
These demonstrate the need to ensure that our cybersecurity measures are up to par, stronger protection tools are in place and closer cooperation mechanisms are made the most of.
 
At a national level, we are in the process of reviewing our National Cybersecurity Strategy, establishing our national Computer Emergency Response Team and to formalise the current capabilities that exist. The Fijian Parliament enacted the Cybercrime Act which is aligned to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. The Budapest Convention is the gold standard and is the only international instrument that deals with cybercrime and electronic evidence. On 8 December 2021, we received an invitation to be a party to the Budapest Convention and we are actively working on this. We are also partnering with the Council of Europe through the GLACY+ project in developing tailored capacity building programmes to combat cybercrime.
 
Additional, in the international arena, we are actively participating in the UN Cybercrime Ad Hoc Committee which is looking into a new UN instrument on cybercrime and the UN Open-Ended Working Group on security of and in the use of information and communication technologies. The OEWG is looking at voluntary norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
 
At the regional level, our regional cybersecurity mandate is underpinned by the 2018 Boe Declaration and our recently launched 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent which focuses on fostering cooperation, collaboration and, to share cyber security threat information, tools, techniques, and ideas. To improve cyber security capabilities and readiness across the Pacific, we are also actively participating in regional networks such as the Pacific Cybersecurity Operational Network, the Pacific Islands Law Officers Network (PILON), and the Pacific Transnational Crime Network -- which consists of cyber security experts, legal experts and technical experts.
 
We hear the phrase – Cybersecurity is a collective or shared responsibility. What does this mean?
 
Well, for individuals, it means not using the same password across various online accounts; it means not having weak passwords such as 1234; when having to update or create passwords, not slightly tweaking password from ilove1 to ilove2–it means employing multifactor authentication, -- not clicking on suspicious email links, and ensuring that software systems are updated regularly including anti-virus software. It also means being intentional about what we share online because social engineering techniques exploit our digital footprint. It also means referring to authentic sources for information such as the authentic Fijian Government social media handle or other official accounts for accurate information. For example, the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit on 30 September released an advisory alerting a cryptocurrency scam and advised that there are currently no authorised virtual assets service provider in Fiji. I’ve mentioned a few steps that we can all use to navigate these online spaces safely. There are many more. These few steps confirm the theme of this Symposium – It is easy to stay safe online.
 
For companies, entities and organisations – it means deactivating unused accounts, ensuring patching of our systems, employing least privilege, using firewalls and anti-virus to protect systems, having proper data backups, and encouraging cyber hygiene practices among employees, and looking at cybersecurity as an investment and not a cost.
 
As a collective, it is creating a culture of cyber hygiene practices, sharing of threat intelligence, and having symposiums like this one so that we can share insights, workshop challenges and leverage opportunities for closer collaboration. It requires all of us, progressing these conversations and implementing cyber security safeguards and measures.
 
In closing, all of these efforts, including this Symposium, positions us to build trust in the digital economy, meet evolving threats, and support a safe cyberspace. With these short remarks, it is my pleasure to declare the 2022 Fiji National University Cybersecurity Symposium open.
 
Thank you.