Octopus Cybercrime Community

The strategy, entitled 'Digital Malta' – the National Digital Strategy for Malta for the period 2014-2020, was launched by the prime minister following public consultation with several stakeholders. This strategy recognises the need of a National Cyber Security Strategy to address all the risks met in cyberspace.

The first step in this direction was the publication in October 2015 of a Green Paper for a National Security Strategy, which served as a basis for consultation.

The National Cyber Security Strategy launched in 2016 is a consolidation of the proposal presented by the Green Paper.

The National Cyber Security Strategy recognises that tackling cyber security entails the need to:

• Safeguard the rule of law in line with Malta’s Constitution and Malta’s role as a European Union Member State;
• Adopt a multi-disciplinary approach;
• Ensure that all stakeholders of cyber-space: government, private sector, and civil society understand their shared responsibility and thus commitment to collaboration and cooperation, to ensure a safe, stable and secure environment;
• Adopt a risk based approach, based upon the premise that it is impossible to guarantee immunity from any cyber attack.

The strategic view of the National Cyber Security Strategy can be summarized in six goals and relative actions:

1. Goal: Establish a Governance Framework that is based upon the premise that a cyber security strategy needs to be established, and more importantly, be effectively implemented and maintained on a continuous basis. Hence the need to ensure the key coordination structures, processes, roles and practice with particular focus on cyber risk management within the public and private sector.

2. Goal: Combat Cybercrime which aims to ensure and consolidate capabilities to tackle cybercrime.

3. Goal: Strengthen National Cyber Defence which aims to foster sharing of cyber security knowledge and intelligence, review current legislation and regulations in line with cyber space developments and ensure digital resilience on a national and organisation wide scale of particular consideration are recent legal developments at EU level, notably legislation pertaining to data protection and that related to Network and Information Security.

4. Goal: Secure cyber-space which aims to foster self regulation and voluntary self commitment, bearing in mind that legislation is not a panacea to cyber security commitments. It also aims to stimulate use of standards and best practices that guarantee security whilst allowing for interoperability. Special focus is also given to promote security and trust of online public services and to consolidate support to the private sector.

5. Goal: Cyber security Awareness and Education which aims to target academia, the public and private sector and citizens as a means to sensitize awareness, knowledge as well as capabilities and expertise in cyber security. A national strategic approach towards an ongoing educational and awareness campaign is especially recommended.

6. Goal: National and International Cooperation which aims to ensure effective consultation, cooperation and collaboration on a national level, on a European and on a global basis, enabled by EU and international institutions and activities, based on the understanding that cyber security has no bounds

Capacity building and combating cybercrime is also foreseen in Malta's National Digital Strategy 2014-2020, giving priority to the fight against serious and organised crime between 2014 and 2017, such as online and payment card fraud, cybercrime which cause serious harm to their victims such as online child sexual exploitation, and cyber-attacks which affect all critical infrastructure and information systems in the EU.

(Source: https://www.enisa.europa.eu/topics/national-cyber-security-strategies/ncss-map/national-cyber-security-strategies-interactive-map/strategies/national-cyber-security-strategy-of-malta)