The Commodore Dominique Riban was appointed as head of the Monegasque cyber security agency. His job will be prevention and protection against cyber-attacks.
The agency was created by Sovereign Order, on the 23rd of December 2015. On the 5th of July, with Frédéric Fautrier, appointed as the deputy director, Commodore Dominique Riban was recruited to head the agency (AMSN). The ex-deputy of the National agency for the security of information in Paris, worked for 3 years with over 500 agents. He was under the services of the French Prime Minister, and responsible for the defense of National security of information systems. Right from the word the director made it clear that the agency was not an Intelligence agency.
According to Dominique Riban, the mission of the agency is to ensure that all digital information systems of the state and major actors of the Principality will be kept safe. The agency can be more closely compared to that of firefighters, it is here for prevention, and in case of a cyber-attack, they are here to find the source of the issue, not the person behind the attack. However, all information would be passed on to investigators should it be applicable.
Currently the team at the agency is 3-man strong. A secretary, deputy director and a director. 3 engineers will be joining the team in the coming weeks, and a further 2 more engineers in 2017. The necessary tools to be operational is being purchased, and whilst the offices are being set-up, the team has been busy over the last 3 months putting together general information guide and standard policies for the state.
The relationship between the state and the public will be digitalised, so security of people’s personal information is of the utmost importance, that’s what the agency is putting into place, thus protecting personal information and data. One of the big challenges is that the digital world is evolving at a higher rate than that of cyber-security. This will be a big focus, to catch up, and to keep up with the constant digital evolution. There is no doubt that Monaco aims to be an example in implementing policies and regulations to protect those who live and work there, making it that much safer place.
