ICTA subsidiary Sri Lanka CERT marked at APCERT event

The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness  Team Coordination Centre (Sri Lanka CERT|CC) played an active role in celebrating   Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team’s (APCERT) 10th anniversary recently. Sir Lanka CERT |CC is a subsidiary of the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). 

Set up in 2003 to enhance cooperation between region’s CERTs,  APCERT marked its 10th anniversary with the 10th  APCERT Conference and Annual General Meeting from 24th to 28th March ultimo. 

CERT Australia hosted the twin event at the Novotel Hotel in Brisbane, Australia. The two-pronged event  was a great opportunity for cyber security professionals to compare experiences and related issues and to share knowledge and expertise.

Sri Lanka CERT|CC the national body for cyber security in Sri Lanka and a full member of APCERT made a substantial contribution to the celebration, themed  “Then, Now and Beyond”. As self-evident, the theme afforded  all the teams the opportunity to review the past and the present, and look to the future.

Sri Lanka CERT actively contributed to the success of several working groups for APCERT policy development and the development of a new operational framework. The purpose of this policy development and new operational framework development was to meet the new challenges facing the internet infrastructure in the region.  Sri Lanka CERT CEO Lal Dias served as the pro tem Chairman in the election of a governing council for APCERT.

A public conference was also held soon after  the Annual General Meeting. Several eminent personalities  from around the world addressed the well-attended confab.  There were three panel discussions in the conference. Sri Lanka CERT Principal Information Security Engineer Rohana Palliyaguru chaired one of them and the  topic  was "Malware, Hacking and Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)".

In a major outcome of the celebration, it was agreed by the group of participating countries that they work together offering more cooperation in identifying and stalling cyber threats.  A  software usable in dealing with such situations was made available to the participating CERTs which numbered about 30. 

Caption (APCERT)Sri Lanka CERT Principal Information Security Engineer Rohana Palliyaguru addressing the APCERT conference 

This article is carried in Weekend FT and Daily News of 6th and 8th April 2013.

http://www.ft.lk/2013/04/06/icta-subsidiary-sri-lanka-cert-marked-at-apcert-event/

http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/04/08/bus15.asp