Iceland aims to shore up the security of its ICT infrastructure by raising awareness and increasing resilience. And next to updating its legislation, Iceland will also bolster the police’s capabilities to tackle cybercrime.

In July, Iceland’s Ministry of the Interior made available a 12-page English summary of the country’s new ICT security policy. The policy, originally published in April, was overhauled following the work of a task force appointed in 2013.

“The public, enterprises and government should have the knowledge, skills and equipment needed to cope with cyber security threats”, the ministry writes in its English summary.

Increasing the resilience of Iceland’s ICT infrastructure will require capacity building, the document explains. Iceland aims to improve its ICT security assessment, preparedness and response capabilities to “a level comparable with that of the other Nordic countries”, the ministry writes. “The main basis of Iceland’s security and defence lies in the country’s collaboration with NATO, active collaboration with other Nordic countries and the Defence Agreement with the United States.”

The country foresees it will collaborate on cyber security with other international organisations, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Iceland’s laws should be updated, “[to] reflect the international demands and obligations the country undertakes regarding cyber security and the protection of personal data. Furthermore, legislation must also support innovation and the development of security-related services such as hosting.”

More information:

Icelands ICT security policy, summary in English
News of network and information security policy, 28 April 2015
Network and Information Policy 2015-2026, actions 2015-2018