3.0 Background Information: Cyber Security in a Nutshell Cyberspace is both essential to the existence of the governments and those who governed, and dangerous in its relative anonymity and connectivity to virtually all corners of the world. Every day, governments, enterprises and organizations wrestle with cybersecurity compromises of all sizes and types, ranging from simple viruses to complex, stealth targeted online attacks. To successfully defend their data and the organization’s reputation, Information Technology (IT) and security firms are developing teams, tools, processes, policies, strategies and even introducing or amending legislations to quickly respond to new cyber-threats and compromises, but not all of them are succeeding. Many security leaders and decision makers appear to be overestimating or under prioritizing their ability to detect and respond to security incidents. This can be due to many organizations lacking dedicated staff to handle incident response tasks. It is cautionary that heightened awareness around cyber incident response and some organizations’ definition of a “security incident” may overlook significant events which are often critical for successfully mitigating cyber-threats. The openness of the Internet is integral because the prosperity of all nations are now strongly linked by many forms as well as through bilateral and diplomatic partnerships. With the current COVID-19 pandemic crippling almost all economies, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet is paramount to enabling business continuity. Conversely, as new threats spread across the borders due to the increase of users going online, the need to identify a cyber-border is as important as the physical borders. The notion of establishing Cyber-borders provides an avenue and desire for governments to exercise and implement proper security controls over the Internet within their own borders, including economic, political, cultural and technological activities; that is, to an extend the concept of Cyber Sovereignty. This whole concept requires a new era of cooperation to ensure the growth and stability of the national and global economy. 3.1 Vanuatu’s Cyber-threat Environment ‘Cyber Security’ is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks. It is also known as the process of protecting sensitive data, networks, and software applications from cyber-attacks. Consequently, ‘Security’ isn’t only about tools or technology; it is about establishing a broad, fundamental awareness and sense of responsibility among all Internet and technology users. The ever-changing cyber-attacks and techniques occur daily, posing major threats to organization applications and networks. The execution of cyber-attacks and techniques have become incredibly dynamic and stealth in nature. Users need flexible solutions and the ability to make frequent adjustments aligning with the changes in the technology landscape in order to appropriately protect systems and networks. This is how complex cyber-attacks are evolving, bringing challenges for cybersecurity professionals in Vanuatu and abroad. “Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty caused situation created by COVID-19.”by the unstable social and economic - Jurgen Stock, INTERPOL Secretary General. Vanuatu is no different to other countries where decision makers and security professionals are struggling to keep up with the pace of the ever-changing threats and threat behaviours. The likes of phishing attacks, online scams, Ransomware, the rise of IoT bots, botnets, Malware attacks and defacing of websites are also threatening Vanuatu’s Internet environment. Consequently, Vanuatu needs to be proactive in cyber security. The establishment of the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT Vanuatu) of Vanuatu is a key step to implementing its cyber security framework and mechanisms. Since the establishment of CERT Vanuatu, the cyber-attack trends indicated that threats will increase due to the rapid evolution in the technological world which is economically driven by various global technology power enterprises and firms. This phenomena is observed globally based on the technology and cyber-attack trends and also the increase in consumer demands for technology and online services. 9 | Vanuatu’s Cyber Security Strategy 2030