Who are we?
The
Malta Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIP) operates within the
portfolio of the Cabinet Office, in the Office of the Prime Minister
and acts according the objectives defined by L.N. 434 of 2011 Critical
Infrastructures and European Critical Infrastructures (Identification,
Designation and Protection) Order. This Order is the transposition of
Council Directive 2008/114/EC of 8th December 2008 on the identification
and designation of European critical infrastructures and the assessment
of the need to improve their protection.
What do we do?
The
Malta CIP Unit establishes the criteria for the identification and
designation of Critical Infrastructures, and maintains a national
inventory of critical assets within designated Critical Infrastructures.
Moreover the Unit ensures that CI owners or operators:
· Conduct an appropriate Risk Assessment;
· Draw and maintain an suitable Operator Security Plan (OSP);
· Perform operational reviewing, updating and the necessary exercising of such plans (OSPs);
· Share CI information as may be required from time to time.
Malta
CIP Unit acts as the European CIP (ECIP) contact point communicating
and reporting on the above to the European Commission on an annual
basis. In addition, the Unit in close collaboration with public- and
private-sector critical infrastructure stakeholders drives a coordinated
national effort that oversees the development and implementation of an
effective critical infrastructure protection for the country.
An
equally fundamental role of the Malta CIP Unit is the coordination and
support of general emergency preparedness plans capable of responding to
national emergencies. This role entails the coordination of emergencies
services, namely the Civil Protection Department (CPD), Police, Armed
Forces of Malta (AFM), Pre-Hospital Health and other related
stakeholders as may be required by specific national emergencies.
Finally,
Malta CIP provides adequate early warnings via CSIRTMalta concerning
Cyber threats and incidents, reaching out to operators of Critical
Information Infrastructures (CII) and ultimately to other sectors,
businesses and citizens.
The Critical Infrastructure (CI) Sectors
The
national critical infrastructure spreads over nine sectors. While not
all sectors carry the same weight, any sector contains critical elements
that the loss or compromise of which would have a major impact on the
availability or integrity of essential services that support the
nation’s security, economic stability and well-being of citizens. These
are Energy, Finance & Industry, Food, Government, Health, Telecoms
& Technology, Transport, Water and Emergency Management.