New Zealand Establishes Lead Agency to Strengthen Cyber Defenses Against Growing Threats

New Zealand fortifies cyber defenses with a dedicated lead agency, integrating Computer Emergency Response Team to boost incident response. This positions the country for digital economy opportunities and secure government services.

Establishing Cyber Defense Agency

New Zealand announced to enhance its cyber defenses by establishing a dedicated lead agency, making it more accessible for both the public and businesses to seek assistance during network intrusions.

As part of this initiative, Reuters reported that New Zealand's Computer Emergency Response Team will be integrated into the National Cyber Security Centre, aimed at bolstering the country's response to cyber incidents. Public Service Minister Andrew Little emphasized the escalating scale and sophistication of cyber threats faced by New Zealand in a statement.

"Having a single agency to provide authoritative advice and respond to incidents across every threat level is international best practice," he added. This approach will position New Zealand favorably to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the digital economy while also ensuring the provision of secure government services.

Starting on 31st August, Reseller NZ reported that the operational integration of CERT NZ into the NCSC will commence, spanning several years. Throughout this process, all existing services will be upheld.

Earlier this year, the NCSC, CERT NZ, and the Australian Cyber Security Centre partnered with the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands, under the Five Eyes alliance, to increase the accountability of vendors for the safety of their products.

New Zealand's Efforts

Ginny Andersen, Minister for the Digital Economy, highlighted the government's significant investment of $94 million since 2018 in enhancing cyber security capabilities. Notably, they have implemented cutting-edge protection measures, like Malware Free Networks, to safeguard internet service providers and private networks.

Additionally, the government has introduced baseline security templates, facilitating organizations in leveraging innovative cloud services while ensuring better information protection, as stated by the minister. Despite this, she acknowledged that there is more to do and it does not stop from there.

Amidst a recent surge in online break-ins, New Zealand's central bank proposed collecting financial data on cyber incidents in May. The objective behind this proposal is to gain a deeper understanding of cyber risks in the financial sector and develop more effective measures to address and mitigate such threats.

As of the moment, the central bank is in the process of gathering feedback on the proposal, and a decision on whether to implement the new rules is pending. According to Kate Le Quesne, the Director of Prudential Policy at RBNZ, gathering this information will enhance the bank's comprehension of cyber resilience within the financial sector.