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Panama Hosts OAS Cyber Crisis Simulation

The Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) of the Organization of American States (OAS), in collaboration with the Authority for Government Innovation (AIG) of Panama, today concluded a Cyber Security Crisis Management Exercise in Panama City.

The activity brought together the country’s relevant cyber security actors to learn to protect their citizens against threats in cyberspace. During the two-day exercise a wide range of critical infrastructure cyber incidents against the country were simulated which, if they came to pass, could disrupt the everyday life and tranquility of Panamanians.

During the opening ceremony, the Executive Secretary of the OAS/CICTE, Neil Klopfenstein, highlighted the progress that has been made by the Panamanian government in the area of cyber security, including the newly adopted Critical Infrastructure Cyber ​​Security Strategy of Panama, which makes the country the second in Latin America to adopt this type of initiative. Similarly, Klopfenstein reiterated that risks remain high and stressed the need for the government, the private sector and civil society to invest greater resources to strengthen cyberspace security.

Meanwhile, Eduardo Jaen, General Administrator of the AIG of Panama, expressed his appreciation for the support received from the OAS and CICTE, and reiterated that both AIG and other institutions of the government of Panama are committed to strengthening cyber security. In addition, the AIG representative noted that his institution promoted the adoption of the National Cyber ​​Security Strategy, the signing of the Principles of the Partnering for Cyber Resilience Initiative of the World Economic Forum (WEF), as well as adherence to the global initiative “Stop. Think. Connect," and reiterated his commitment to making the Internet a safer place for all Panamanian citizens.

The United States Ambassador in Panama, Jonathan D. Farrar, also participated in the opening ceremony, noting that cyber security has become a matter of national security for his country, and said that it should be taken on by governments and society, keeping in mind three pillars: fundamental freedoms, privacy and the free flow of information.

The Canadian Ambassador to Panama, Sylvia Cesaratto, who also attended the event, reiterated that Canada has been committed to Panama and other countries in the region in strengthening hemispheric security and mentioned that cyber protection is one of the issues being considered with high priority by the Canadian government. Similarly, she commended the efforts the government of Panama is making in strengthening cyber security.

The exercise, which included simulations of denial of service attacks, web site defacement, and theft of bank accounts, among other important forms of attacks which have caused great damage to companies or economies in several countries, was held at the University of Panama, and in addition to government institutions and civil society, it was attended by representatives of the energy sector, the financial sector, the Panama Canal Authority and Tocumen SA, among other relevant actors from the private sector and those working in critical infrastructure in Panamanian.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-160/13