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The Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS) is enhancing its initiatives to avert cyberattacks as part of the Cybersecurity Plan 2024 for Puerto Rico, aimed at safeguarding information.
As of September, approximately 82,183,788 attempted attacks against the Puerto Rico government have been identified and thwarted.
For the first time, PRITS organized Cyber Tabletops in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a segment of the US Department of Homeland Security, along with the FBI. These exercises evaluate the capability of agencies and municipalities to respond to a cyberattack. Participating entities included the Public Safety, Treasury, Education, Family and Natural & Environmental Resources departments, the Medical Services Administration, the University of Puerto Rico and its Medical Sciences Campus, the Comptroller’s Office, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the Planning Board.
“In accordance with cybersecurity regulations, we at PRITS have developed the Cybersecurity Policy that creates the government framework to ensure robust measures for protecting information assets, which includes procedures, guidelines, physical and technical controls, and the essential cybersecurity requirements for all agencies,” stated Antonio Ramos Guardiola, the CEO of Innovation and Information for the island government.
Cyber Tabletops were aimed at showcasing exercises intended to address a cyber threat in real-time and assess the response ability of the agencies involved. Based on the findings, the central government’s Cyber Incident Response Plan, also devised by PRITS, will be refined to further the education and training efforts by defining the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders.
“This additional initiative allows us to establish centralized governance, policies, and standards regarding cybersecurity,” remarked Poincaré Díaz Peña, the chief cybersecurity officer of the government. “Moreover, we can gauge the cybersecurity landscape and continuously evaluate risks to secure citizens’ data while broadening safe digital public service offerings. We persist in nurturing the cyber workforce of the Government of Puerto Rico through education to foster a secure cyberculture throughout the island.”
In 2023, around 517,885,218 attacks were identified and thwarted, compared to approximately 753,276,059 detections in 2022. “We certainly observe a decline in attempted attacks and due to the strategies implemented, we have seen nearly a 50% reduction in successful attacks,” Ramos Guardiola noted. “We will continue our commitment to bolster the government’s cyber resilience by enacting measures that safeguard our citizens’ information and guarantee the continuity of public services.”
