Tonga's Computer Emergency Response Team - CERT Tonga

20/05/2026

As part of our ongoing training sessions for older adults, ensuring they can enjoy a safe, confident, and connected online experience, we conducted a session yesterday afternoon for the Catholic Women’s Group Manava’ofa of Ma’ufanga.

The session focused on:
• Understanding Online Safety – The Words and the Why
• Protecting What Matters – Device Basics (securing your device)
• Making Your Device Easy & Comfortable to Use
• Safer Shopping, Banking & Investing Online
• Spotting Scams (Using the SCAMS Framework)
• Staying Connected Safely

This event was delivered in partnership with Netsafe.

17/05/2026

📱🔒 Your Online Safety Matters! 🔒📱

Tonga's Computer Emergency Response Team - CERT Tonga is inviting our Tongan Citizens to take part in our Social media & Online Safety Survey as it takes 3-5 minutes through the QR code provided.

🛡️ Your feedback will help:
- Strengthen online safety awareness.
- Support safer social media use
- Improve future cybersecurity outreach and education
- Help build a safer digital Tonga

📲 Simply scan the QR code and share your thoughts. Your participation is valuable and greatly appreciated!

15/05/2026

📍 Day 2 & Final Day – Career Pathway Expo 2026

The final day of the Career Expo 2026 themed as "My Tomorrow", at Queen Salote Memorial Hall Tonga's Computer Emergency Response Team - CERT Tonga again joined with Tonga Women in ICT - TWICT in promoting and creating a great platform to connect with students, youth, and job seekers, highlighting the increasing importance of cybersecurity and the wide range of opportunities within the ICT and digital sector.

Thank you again to the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development and all participating organizations for making this event a success.🌏🔐

14/05/2026

📢 CERT Tonga at the Career Expo 2026 🇹🇴💻🛡️

Tonga's Computer Emergency Response Team - CERT Tonga was thrilled to participate at the Day 1 of the Career Expo 2026 with the theme of "My Tomorrow"- an important event that directly connects students, youth, and job seekers with TVET institutions, universities, and employers from both the private sector and Government.

The Expo provided a valuable platform for participants to explore academic and vocational pathways, discover career opportunities, and learn more about available scholarships and professional development opportunities.

During the event, CERT Tonga joined together with Tonga Women in ICT - TWICT in sharing insights into the growing field of cybersecurity, the importance of online safety, and the role of cybersecurity professionals in protecting Tonga’s digital environment. It was encouraging to engage with many young people who showed strong interest in technology, cybersecurity, and future career pathways in the ICT sector. A massive thank you to Ministry of Trade and Economic Development for this wonderful event.

CERT Tonga remains committed to supporting youth development, digital awareness, and capacity building for a safer and more secure cyberspace in Tonga.

06/05/2026

24/04/2026

Strengthening the Future of Cybersecurity in Tonga with Cambridge Global Advisors in Partnership with Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

We wrapped up an empowering week focused on "Women in Cybersecurity in the Pacific" with a high-impact, half-day training session for the women of Tonga's Computer Emergency Response Team - CERT Tonga. This final session was a deep dive into building a resilient digital future through strategic planning and professional excellence.

Key focus areas included:
• National Strategy: Developing and implementing robust frameworks for national cyber resilience.
• Workforce Development: Leveraging the SFIA (Skills Framework for the Information Age) to map out precise job descriptions and career paths.
• Data-Driven Insights: Learning the fundamentals of conducting effective surveys—a first for CERT Tonga—to better inform our initiatives.
• Inclusivity & Policy: Ensuring all voices are heard in the policymaking process and establishing clear channels for information sharing.

Looking Ahead: Our collaboration continues! We are excited to announce upcoming virtual training sessions tailored for everyone from executive leadership to technical staff. These programs will focus on Tongan-specific cybersecurity needs, project opportunities for our interns, and professional certifications to advance both technical and non-technical careers.

Together, we are building a more secure and inclusive digital Tonga. 💻🔐

30/03/2026

Commemorating a Decade of Regional Resilience: CERT Tonga & SICERT - March 23–27, 2026

This year marks a momentous milestone as CERT Tonga celebrates its 10th Anniversary. As the first Computer Emergency Response Team established in the Pacific, we take immense pride in the capacity and technical capability we have cultivated over the past decade.

In the spirit of regional excellence, we were honoured to host our colleagues from the Solomon Islands Computer Emergency Response Team (SICERT) this week. This exchange visit provided a platform for SICERT to gain deep insights into our operational evolution and the lessons learned over ten years of service.

By sharing our experiences in incident response and operational procedures, we are fostering a stronger, more resilient Pacific through structured knowledge sharing and technical engagement. We look forward to continued collaboration and a safer digital future for our regional partners.

30/03/2026

Strengthening Tonga’s Digital Resilience: Collaborating with Cyfluence Research Centre

CERT Tonga is proud to continue our working relationship with the Cyfluence Research Centre (CRC Germany). On 23–24 March, we facilitated a series of strategic meetings with local stakeholders to explore high-impact collaborations in Cyber Intelligence in the Age of AI. Strengthening these global ties ensures a more resilient digital future for Tonga. 🇹🇴🤝🇩🇪

30/03/2026

Advancing National Cyber Resilience: Inaugural Cybersecurity Advisory Board Meeting 2026

We are proud to announce the successful convening of the first Board meeting of the year, chaired by the Prime Minister and Minister for MEIDECC, Lord Fakafanua.

This landmark session served a dual purpose: it officially marked the first board gathering of 2026 and formally established the Cybersecurity Advisory Board under the mandates of the Cybersecurity Act 2025. During the proceedings, the appointment of board members was officially confirmed, signalling a robust start to our new governance framework.

The gathering brought together key leaders to review operational progress and strategically chart the path for our future initiatives in securing our digital landscape.

10/03/2026

⚠️ Cyber Security Alert: INC Ransomware Targeting Critical Networks ⚠️

This is the first joint advisory from cyber security authorities in Australia, New Zealand, and Tonga warns of increasing attacks by the INC Ransom group against critical sectors, especially Health Care.

🚨 What You Need to Know:
• Who they are: A financially motivated "Ransomware-as-a-Service" group active since 2023.
• Tactics: They use "double extortion"—stealing sensitive data and encrypting files to pressure victims into paying.
• Recent Activity: Since early 2025, they have shifted focus toward Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Island states.

🛠️ How to Stay Safe:
• Enable MFA: Use phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication for all remote access.
• Patch Regularly: Keep all internet-facing devices updated to close known vulnerabilities.
• Backup Data: Maintain and regularly test offsite backups.
• Limit Access: Use the principle of least privilege for administrative accounts.

Protect your organisation by staying informed and implementing essential mitigations.

For more details you can refer to this link:https://cert.gov.to/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/INC-Ransom-Affiliate-Model-Enabling-Targeting-of-Critical-Networks_Advisory.pdf