Indian government is about to formulate a national cybersecurity strategy

Lieutenant General Rajesh Pant, National Cyber ​​Security Coordinator, Office of the Prime Minister, Government of India (Dr. ) Rajesh Pant, expressing the Indian government’s intention to release a new cybersecurity strategy this year. He added that the strategy will “comprehensively cover the entire ecosystem of Indian cyberspace”.

“The vision of the strategy is to ensure a safe, secure, resilient, vibrant and trustworthy cyberspace,” he said. The new strategy will serve as a guide to address various aspects, be it governance or data as a national resource, or building indigenous capacity or cyber auditing, to name a few. “This new strategy resulted in more than 80 deliverables,” he added.

“The pandemic has seen cybercrime in India soar by 500% and India is one of the three most attacked countries in the world in terms of cyberattacks,” said Lieutenant General Pant. Drones and the Internet of Things (IoT) The proliferation of new technologies such as devices brings new threats. To ensure a safe, secure and trustworthy cyberspace, the government has taken a series of measures.

“Cybercrime is on the rise. Attribution is the hard part, and now (cybercriminals) they’ve started taking advantage of the dark web. The pandemic has created the perfect storm for cybercriminals,” he added.

Emphasizing the Prime Minister’s focus on the importance of cybersecurity, the Lieutenant General said, “The government has a good framework. From 2013 to 2021, the threat surface has changed… The pandemic and working from home have expanded the threat surface exponentially. From the Indian government’s point of view, cybersecurity has become an essential service… In addition to the new cyber strategy being developed, the government is also considering amendments to the IT bill.”

Talking about national security issues in the telecommunications industry, Pant said: “While other countries have developed blacklists of companies that cannot operate in the country, India is the only country that has whitelisted telcos that are allowed to operate in the country. Operating in India. Permitted companies must be trusted sources. We were able to create and launch trusted telecom portals during the pandemic and within six months.”

Dr. Subho Ray, President of PAFI and President of IAMAI, delivered opening remarks, and Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd., Secretary and Group Government Affairs Officer of PAFI, Tanmoy Chakrabarty expressed his gratitude in the PAFI Dialogue.