Maintaining adequate cyber security measures in today’s high tech digital environment is crucial and the best way to safeguard the IT infrastructure of the organizations. Not only are these threats harming the businesses, but also government authorities. Initiating cyber security measures by the government of India will help maintain a cyber-secure environment and mitigate the risks associated with the threat. The number of cyber security incidents has increased over the years. Mr PP Choudhary, minister of state for electronics and IT stated that 44679, 49455, 50362 cyber security incidents took place in India during the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, as stated by the information collected by India’s computer emergency response team (CERT-in). Although the government has taken certain cyber security initiatives as discussed below, more aggressive measures are required to meet the challenge.

Initiatives taken by The Indian Government on Cyber Security

1. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)

• The advancement in the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), which operates as the national agency to address the country’s cyber security, has helped reduce the rate of cyber attacks on government networks

2. Cyber Surakshit Bharat

• Aiming to strengthen the cybersecurity ecosystem in India and following the Government’s vision of a “digital India,” the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Cyber ​​Surakshit Bharat initiative
• The program was in partnership with the National Electronic Governance Division (NeGD)

3. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Center (NCIIPC)

• NCIIPC is a central government establishment, formed to protect critical information about our country, which has an enormous impact on national security, economic growth, and public health care

NCIIPC has mainly identified the following as “critical sectors”-

• Power & Energy
• Banking, Financial Services & Insurance
• Telecom Transport
• Government
• Strategic & Public Enterprises

4. Appointment of Chief Information Security Officers

• The Indian Government has published a written guideline for CISOs of government organizations, outlining best practices for safeguarding apps, infrastructure, and compliance
• Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) can identify and document the security requirements that may arise with each technical innovation

5. Personal Data Protection Bill

• The most important one for Indian citizens is the approval of the Personal Data Protection Bill by the Union Government to protect Indian users from global breaches, which focuses on data localization
• The bill involves the storage and processing of any critical information related to people only in India
• It strictly states that individuals’ sensitive personal data is to be stored locally; however, it can be processed abroad under certain conditions
• The bill also aims to make social media companies more accountable and push them to solve the spread of offensive content

6. Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Center)

• The “Digital Swachhta Kendra” (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Center) is a part of the Government of India’s Digital India drive, overseen by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), determined to make secure cyberspace all through India by distinguishing botnet contaminations and advising, empowering cleaning, and end-client security systems to forestall new diseases
• The “Cyber Swachhta Kendra” (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Center) is intended to address the goals of the “National Cybersecurity Policy,” which calls for the development of a secure cybernetic ecosystem in the country
• The centre works in close coordination and collaboration with Internet service providers and antivirus/product companies
• The website provides users with information and tools to help them protect their systems/devices. Following Section 70B of the Information Technology Act 2000, this centre is run by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)

7. National Cyber Security Policy, 2013

• The Policy’s goal is to create safe and resilient cyberspace for citizens, businesses, and the Government
• The mission is to provide protection to cyberspace information and infrastructure, develop capabilities to prevent and respond to cyberattacks, and minimize damage through coordinated efforts of institutional structures, people, processes, and technology
• To create a workforce of 500,000 trained cybersecurity professionals in the next 5 years through capacity building, skills development and training
• Through appropriate legislative intervention, enable effective cybercrime prevention, investigation, and prosecution, as well as the enhancement of law enforcement capabilities

Conclusion

To address cyber security issues and improve their implementation at the national level, experts have suggested the setting up of a National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA). The agency is proposed to be equipped with staff that is both technically proficient and able to encrypt platforms. One other measure is the setting up of the National Cyber Coordination centre as an e-surveillance agency to coordinate intelligence gathering activities of different agencies.

Important pages