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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesCyber Security Month Proclaimed in V.I.

Cyber Security Month Proclaimed in V.I.

Governor John P. de Jongh Jr. has proclaimed October as “Cyber SecurityMonth” in the Virgin Islands to call attention to the critical need to secure our digital infrastructure in the age of a technologically interconnected world.
These days, almost every Virgin Islander uses the Internet to keep in contact with family and friends, manage their finances, buy goods and services, and get the latest news. The growth and spread of this technology has transformed not only our lives, but also our national and international security needs—Internet users and our information infrastructure face an increasing threat of malicious attack by viruses and loss of privacy from spyware and adware.
The Internet presents immense promise for economic growth and the free exchange of information around the world, but it also makes possible these new threats to our nation’s and territory’s economic prosperity, government efficiency, and security. To adequately address those threats, we must take steps to strengthen our digital literacy and cyber security knowledge.
“When I traveled to the National Governor’s Association winter meeting in Washington, D.C. last February, the meeting of the Special Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety put great emphasis on addressing cyber security challenges in its policy discussions,” the governor said.
“We must continue to advance innovative public and private sector initiatives to protect the confidentiality of sensitive information, the integrity of e-commerce, and the resilience of our cyber infrastructure. And we must make sure that law enforcement agents and prosecutors are well-trained to counter these threats,” he said.
In the territory, investigating cyber crimes falls upon the Virgin Islands Justice Department’s white collar crime unit.
Here in the Virgin Islands, our schools use the Internet to enhance the education of students by providing them access to online educational and research materials. The use of information technology at the University of the Virgin Islands is integral in teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and service. The territory’s public libraries provide access to networked computers, online databases, and other resources to the public.
Additionally, many businesses use information systems and networks to manage their businesses and expand their customer reach. These critical sectors are increasingly reliant on information systems to support financial services, energy, telecommunications, transportation, health care and emergency response systems.
The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) was established to provide a collaborative mechanism to help states enhance cyber security. The MS-ISAC, joined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance declared October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
Governor de Jongh noted that one of the new companies relocating to the Virgin Islands and renting server space at the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park is Thermopylae Security and Technology, a company that develops cyber security products.
The governor calls upon all Virgin Islanders to join him in raising the territory’s level of awareness to online threats and to do their share to secure cyberspace.

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