In a compelling morning session, the Papua New Guinea Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) hosted a Validation Workshop on Data Governance and Data Protection Policy at the esteemed Hilton Hotel.

DICT Deputy Secretary Policy and Emerging Technology, Mr. Flierl Shongol, set the tone with his acknowledgments and opening remarks, emphasizing the increasing significance of data in the modern world. With the digital age propelling us forward, Deputy Shongol pondered the question, "Why is data important?"

"Data has evolved into an asset, becoming the fuel that drives digital government and development." He went on to liken data to the "oil for development," highlighting its pivotal role in shaping progress.

IT is a challenging task controlling the importation of telecommunication devices that do not meet technical standards and compliance in the country, an executive says.
National Information and Communications and Technology Authority (Nicta) chief executive officer Kila Gulo-Vui said this at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the PNG Customs Services in Port Moresby yesterday.
“It is a challenge for us the telecommunications regulator to cover all the entry points of imports into the country, Nicta is responsible by law to permit and licence the types of telecommunications devices used in PNG,” he said.
“That is why we are signing this MoU with Customs so they can assist us with monitoring the importation of telecommunication devices that are accepted in the country and the devices that are prohibited.”

The Papua New Guinea Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) through the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) issues this advisory to alert all PNG Government departments, agencies, and organizations about critical vulnerabilities discovered in Citrix ADC and Citrix Gateway products.

Citrix, a prominent provider of networking and cloud computing technologies, recently released a security bulletin on July 18, 2023, highlighting multiple critical vulnerabilities in their NetScaler ADC (formerly Citrix ADC) and NetScaler Gateway (formerly Citrix Gateway) products. These vulnerabilities pose significant risks as they could compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of affected systems.

The identified vulnerabilities are categorized under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system with the following reference numbers: CVE-2023-3519, CVE-2023-3466, and CVE-2023-3467. If successfully exploited, these vulnerabilities grant unauthorized control over the targeted systems to attackers.
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CYBER threats will be everywhere and as technology continues to grow, so will the threats and companies warned to implement information technology (IT) measures, Datec PNG Limited general manager training and education Ravichandran Chandran says.
Ravichandran warned that companies must evaluate, direct and monitor (IT governance) their systems if they are not aligned with the IT requirements of organisation, industry, regulatory and business compliances.“

THE Government is looking to adopt online security models that are being used in other countries, says Information and Communication Technology Department deputy secretary Russel Woruba.
“The Australian government has a good model that depicts how online safety is managed.
“It had been adopted by Fiji, this is one of the models the ministry is exploring by which we can be better responsive to cybersecurity,” Woruba said.
He highlighted the difficulties faced today in respect to internet and cybersecurity, saying that the introduction of fast internet services, although a positive development, has come with challenges.