New Year’s Message from the Director – CIRT Division (For Release: January 1, 2026)
Fellow Jamaicans, Partners, and Members of Our National Cyber Community, as we welcome a new year, I take this moment to extend warm greetings and sincere appreciation on behalf of the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) Division. The year behind us tested our resilience, sharpened our capabilities, and strengthened our national resolve to defend Jamaica’s digital future. The year ahead invites us to build on that progress with even greater clarity of purpose.
Reflecting on Our Work
In 2025, the CIRT Division continued its mandate to detect, analyse, and respond to cyber incidents affecting our nation. We advanced our threat-intelligence collection, expanded stakeholder engagement, enhanced our early-warning mechanisms, and sharpened our readiness posture across sectors. From government ministries to schools, SMEs, and critical national infrastructure, our mission remained clear: to protect Jamaica’s digital assets and national interests.
The Division continued in its role as Jamaica’s Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Division. We strengthened our partnership with the Organisation of American States through Interamerican Committee against Terrorism, the Caribbean Community through the Cyber Fusion Unit of the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security. We represented the Nation in the Triangular initiative to strengthen cybersecurity regulations within Latin America and the Caribbean, supported by the European Union.
Locally, we progressed the review and rewrite of the second installation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy, continue to guide the development and implementation of the Strengthening Cybersecurity In Jamaica Project which is jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica and the Inter-American Development Bank. Though cut short by the impact of the Category 5 Hurricane, Melissa, the 2025 staging of activities under National Cybersecurity Awareness Month were on track to be the most impactful yet.
During the year the Division marked 10 impactful years of cybersecurity development and steadfast stewardship to the Nation. The events to mark the year saw increased participation from members of the Micro, Small and Medium sized enterprises community and the expansion of the membership of our biweekly update forum, the Orchestra, to 25 member entities.
The cumulative efforts of the Division over the last five years positions Jamaica as the English Speaking Caribbean country with the highest level of cybersecurity maturity! The #Cybersecurity 2025 Report of the Inter-American Development Bank and the Organisation of American States confirms Jamaica as the country with the highest level of maturity in cybersecurity in the English Speaking Caribbean, highlighting sustained advances in governance, regulatory framework, and institutionality. In total, Jamaica obtained 127 points, the highest score in CARICOM. While we will not celebrate the contents of the report, it serves as our north star as we enter 2026.
The National SOC and Our Operational Backbone
The continued strengthening of the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) has been central to Jamaica’s readiness. Today, the NSOC serves as the operational backbone of the national cybersecurity architecture. With its maturing tiered analyst structure, improved forensic capability, expanded log ingestion, cloud monitoring, vulnerability intelligence, and closer collaboration with sector-based SOCs and CIRTs, the NSOC is evolving into a modern, mission-critical security nerve centre for the country.
It is not perfect—but it is progressing. And that progress is evidence of discipline, sacrifice, and the unwavering commitment of every analyst who puts service above self. Our analysts worked tirelessly to triage incidents, identify vulnerabilities, track malicious activity, and recommend remediation steps that reinforced operational resilience. Each engagement and every incident—large or small—reminded us that cybersecurity is a collective responsibility.
JaCIRT: Our National Response Frontline
To the Incident Responders in the JaCIRT, we commend your leadership, vigilance, and public service. You remain our national response frontline – guiding technical teams, coordinating response with stakeholders, advising policymakers, and providing support to victims of cyber incidents. Your work in public education, international liaison, intelligence sharing, and crisis coordination continues to earn Jamaica respect and credibility within the regional and global cybersecurity community.
Together, the CIRT Division through the NSOC and JaCIRT form a united triad of national cyber capability—three institutions, one purpose: preserving digital trust, protecting national systems, and securing Jamaica’s online future.
Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond
The new year offers us more than the traditional sentiment of hope—it offers momentum. In 2026, we will aim to:
Strengthen national detection and response capacity with improved tooling and automation
Expand our incident reporting pipelines for faster national visibility
Deepen partnerships with academia, private sector, and international CIRTs/CERTs/CSIRTs/PSIRTs/ISACs
Improve resilience planning for critical national infrastructure and priority sectors • Continue building the next generation of cyber professionals through training and mentorship
Support the evolution of Jamaica’s national cyber authority architecture and governance framework
This is the road ahead—and it will require discipline, investment, and unity of effort. '
I encourage all Jamaicans – individuals, households, businesses, sector leaders, and public institutions – to join us on this mission. Cybersecurity is not a service performed for the nation; it is a responsibility we carry with the nation.
Let 2026 be the year we increase reporting, strengthen policies, improve cyber hygiene, invest in training, and build a culture where cybersecurity is seen not as a response to crisis – but as a foundation for economic growth and national development.
Closing Message
On behalf of the CIRT Division, I extend gratitude to every analyst, incident responder, partner, ministry, operator, vendor, and stakeholder that contributed to our progress. Thank you for your trust, for your partnership, and for your commitment to Jamaica’s national security.
May this new year bring wisdom in our planning, courage in our defence, and unity on our mission.
Happy New Year. Stay Safe. Stay Vigilant. Secure Jamaica.
Godphey Sterling JP
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Director, CIRT Division
Jamaica
