The programme was attended by Additional Secretaries, Senior Assistant Secretaries, and other senior decision-makers representing various departments of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The session focused on the evolving cyber threat landscape, emerging risks targeting government institutions, and the need to effectively implement the National Cyber Security Policy across all public sector organisations.
Officials were briefed on the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks and the importance of adopting proactive measures to safeguard government information systems and critical digital infrastructure.
A key emphasis of the programme was the role of senior leadership in building and maintaining a strong cybersecurity culture. Discussions centred on the responsibility of top management in providing strategic direction, allocating sufficient resources, ensuring compliance with national policies and standards, and overseeing effective cyber risk management practices.
The session also underscored the accountability of senior officials in protecting critical information assets and supporting Information Security Officers (ISOs) and Assistant Information Security Officers (AISOs) in their duties.
Participants were further encouraged to strengthen incident response preparedness and promote continuous cybersecurity awareness among staff to enhance institutional resilience against cyber threats.
The program was conducted by Charuka Damunupola, Lead Information Security Engineer, and Thilina Dissanayake, Manager of Cyber Safety Capacity Development, who shared insights into current cybersecurity challenges, governance best practices, and the strategic role of executive leadership in strengthening cyber resilience across government institutions.
