G20
AND CYBER SECURITY - SECURITY
News: Cyber security is global problem,
declares G20 Digital Economy Ministers' meet
What's
in the news?
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Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said there
was absolute consensus in the G20 meeting on the concept and application of
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), cyber security and skilling in handling
digital technology.
Delhi
Declaration and Cyber Security:
●
The Delhi Declaration is a draft proposal
for G20 countries to commit to responsible state behaviour in cyberspace based
on existing non-binding norms that they have already agreed to under the United
Nations.
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At its special meeting in India in 2022,
the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee unanimously
adopted it.
Initiatives
are being taken by the government to enhance cyber-security in India:
1. Information Act, 2000:
●
The Information Act, 2000 (amended in
2008) is the primary law for dealing with cybercrime and digital commerce in
India.
2.
National Cyber Security Policy, 2013:
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The policy provides the vision and
strategic direction to protect the national cyberspace.
3.
The CERT-In (Cyber Emergency Response Team – India):
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CERT-In has been operational since 2004.
It is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents
as and when they occur.
4.
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C):
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The Union Government has decided to set up
14C. It will be an apex coordination centre to deal with cybercrimes.
5.
Cyber Swachhta Kendra:
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Launched in early 2017, the Cyber Swachhta
Kendra provides a platform for users to analyse and clean their systems of
various viruses, bots/ malware, Trojans, etc.
6.
Cyber Surakshit Bharat:
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The Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology, launched the Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative to
spread awareness about cybercrime and build capacity for safety measures for
Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT staff across all
government departments.
7.
The Cyber Warrior Police Force:
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In 2018, the government announced its
plans to introduce CWPF.
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It is proposed to be raised on lines of
the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).
8.
Cyber-Crime Prevention against Women & Children’ Scheme:
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Implemented by the Ministry of Home
Affairs, the scheme aims to prevent and reduce cybercrimes against women and
children.
Challenges
in India's Cyber Security Approach:
1.
Lack of Cybersecurity Work Force:
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The Indian military, central police
organizations, law enforcement agencies and others are deficient in manpower,
for software and hardware aspects integral to this field.
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Moreover, there is a growing demand for
professionals in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Block Chain Technology (BCT),
Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning (ML). According to several
estimates there is a need for at least three million cybersecurity
professionals today.
2.
Lack of Active Cyber Defence:
●
India doesn’t have the ‘active cyber
defence’ like the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or US’
Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act.
3.
Overlapping Regulatory Bodies:
●
Unlike the US, Singapore, and the UK where
there is a single umbrella organisation dealing in cybersecurity, India has
several central bodies that deal with cyber issues, and each has a different
reporting structure.
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Further, each state government has its own
Cyber emergency Response Team (CERT).
4.
Dependency on Foreign Players for Cyber Security Tools:
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India lacks indigenisation in hardware as
well as software cybersecurity tools.
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This makes India’s cyberspace vulnerable
to cyberattacks motivated by state and non-state actors.
5.
External Challenges:
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Challenges such as growing Chinese
influence in the Indian telecom space, social media are becoming a powerful
tool for dissemination of “information” making it difficult to differentiate
fact from fake news.
WAY
FORWARD:
1.
Building capabilities:
●
There is an urgent need to build capabilities
and capacity for application, equipment and infrastructure testing.
2.
Human resource:
●
Immediate attention has to be given to
human resource development which would increase the number of experts who can
effectively manage the cyber security of the country.
3.
R&D:
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Investments should be made on R&D to
develop more innovative technologies to address increasing cyber security
threats.
4.
Policy and Governance:
●
It is important to bring a robust policy
and effectively implement the same.
●
Further, duties and responsibilities
should be defined clearly for smooth functioning and better coordination among
departments and stakeholders.
5.
Awareness:
●
A periodic awareness campaign by the
government and big private organizations should be conducted to inform people
about cyber security threats.
6.
Strengthening Private Partnership:
●
It is important to strengthen the
public-private partnership on cyber security.
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Cyber-security is needed in the present
era of increasing connectivity.
●
Although the government has taken many
proactive steps, much needs to be done to enhance the country’s cyber-security.
●
It is important to bring a robust policy
and effectively implement the same.