New Zealand to Invest $8 Million to Intensify Focus on Cybersecurity

The government of New Zealand has announced that it will intensify the focus on cybersecurity extracting the funding from 2019 budget and also considers the revision of cybersecurity strategies. The government has allocated around $8 million over the next 4 years in order to enforce its efforts.

The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Kris Faafoi stated that the latest strategy marks four fundamentals for cybersecurity in the country:

1) Partnerships are crucial

2) People are secure and human rights are respected online

3) Economic growth is enhanced

4) National security is protected

The minister also quoted, “A lot of work went into hearing what was needed and what was important to the cybersecurity community, and how we could help New Zealanders be confident and secure in the digital world. We have to work together to keep individuals, businesses, community organizations and the private sector thriving online. It is important to stress that a focus on cybersecurity is critical across society and the economy.”

Faafoi further added, “This is why the strategy also sets out the government’s priorities on cybercrime and how New Zealand will continue to champion a free, open and secure internet internationally.”

New Zealand Joins Hands with Like-Minded Countries

The NZ government has decided to work in collaboration with like-minded countries to design framework promoting a peaceful and stable online ecosystem when state-sponsored cyber-attacks accelerate.

The international collaboration considers cyber risk as an increasing threat worldwide. The framework will be accompanied by state-sponsored cyber operations including tools that are designed to steal sensitive commercial data, disrupt the secure system and intervene in democratic processes’ data.

The minister also expressed his concern over international cyber risks and said that countries should be internationally active as one government only works locally to safeguard the data of one nation.

New Zealand had collaborated with Russia-backed NotPeyta (cyber-attack in 2017) over an international condemnation. NotPeyta initially targeted various entities of Ukraine including the power grid of the country resulting in a disruption in computer systems around the world.

The other priority areas of the strategy ensure NZ’s resistance to cyber threats, protection of critical information infrastructure, assistance to private and community organizations and securing the country’s interest of national security and law enforcement.