A national initiative to connect state institutions operating critical information infrastructure to the National Cyber Security Operations Centre (NCSOC) was launched following a Cabinet decision, with a special discussion held on Feb. 10 at the Old Parliament Building in Colombo.
The discussion, organized jointly by Sri Lanka CERT and the Ministry of Digital Economy, focused on implementing the Cabinet-approved plan to strengthen Sri Lanka’s national cyber security framework, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.
Officials said that cyber security has become a matter of national importance, with direct implications for national security, economic stability, and public confidence.
Priority will be given to connecting critical state institutions to the NCSOC, while the second phase, linking remaining government institutions, is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
It was noted that policy-level approvals have already been granted by the Cabinet, and that selected institutions will also be subject to audits by the National Audit Office. The need to expand digital security awareness and training programmes for public sector officials was also highlighted.
As Sri Lanka advances toward a digital economy, officials said cyber resilience must be treated as a core component of governance and public service delivery. The NCSOC is expected to support real-time threat monitoring, early warning systems, and coordinated incident response to cyber threats, including ransomware attacks, website defacement, and data breaches.
The discussion was attended by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, Acting Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala, Presidential Secretariat officials, Sri Lanka CERT Chairman Thilak Pathirage, and Sri Lanka CERT Chief Executive Officer Kanishka Karunasekera, along with heads and senior officials of key government institutions. (Newswire)