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OAS and the Government of the United Kingdom Present Report on the Maturity of Cybersecurity in Brazil

The Organization of American States (OAS), together with representatives of the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Government of the United Kingdom today presented the report "Review of Cybersecurity Capabilities of the Federative Republic of Brazil."

The report, developed by the Cybersecurity Program of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) of the OAS and the Cybersecurity Center of the University of Oxford, evaluated five specific dimensions to determine the level of preparedness of Brazil, through consultations with government agencies and the national Cybersecurity Incident Response Teams. This is the first time that this methodology has been implemented in a specific country.

Amongst its findings, the report found that: 

• In Brazil, there has been considerable development in three fundamental areas measured in the investigation: (1) the existence of legal frameworks related to cybersecurity, (2) awareness initiatives and (3) standards, organizations and technologies. In particular, the country possesses remarkable strength in his handling of cyber incidents and in the existence of a cybersecurity awareness at various levels of his government.
• Given that Brazil has hosted several international events in recent years, this has allowed the development of cyber crisis management protocols by different response teams. Different government units maintain these action protocols with specific knowledge of their role, and they have been adapted according to different types of attack.
• There has been an increase in the number of users and stakeholders from the public and private sectors who know how their personal information is handled online and how to use good cyber security practices to protect it.

The Secretary for Multidimensional Security of the OAS, Farah Urrutia, said: “In addition to being an example of our close cooperation ties with the Governments of the United Kingdom and Brazil, this report will help Brazil to know its true capacities, areas of opportunity and allow it to prioritize efforts and investments in cybersecurity.” Similarly, she pointed out "Although the region is currently experiencing a notable transformation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are convinced that cybersecurity should be a priority for Brazil and the entire region."

For her part, Liz Davidson, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Brasilia said: “The global crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has further highlighted some of the challenges we face as governments in the area of cybersecurity, and the exchange of experiences and support between us is even more important. We are very honored that the British Government's Digital Access Program has supported the development of this report with Brazil and we hope that it will be, as it is for us, an important instrument to improve our capabilities.”

The report is available for download here.

Reference: E-087/20