As India is on the way to becoming a USD 1 trillion digital economy, the Government of India is working towards updating its National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) in order to improve its position in cyberspace. While India has come a long way since it launched its policy in 2013, there are many new challenges that have emerged due to technological advancement. The rise in incidents can be linked to the increased digitization of our economy.
According to DSCI’s report on Cyber insurance, there are more than 560mn internet subscribers in India, with India becoming the 2nd largest App market in the World. Recently, UPI transactions have crossed USD 14mn.
Global Cybersecurity Index for 2018 ranks India at 47th place globally, in its assessment covering 5 pillars (legal, technical measures, organizational measures, capacity building, and global collaboration).
India’s digital economy is growing rapidly, and technology adoption is in every facet of human intervention. According to a recent report by McKinsey Global Institute, India is the second-fastest digital adopter among the 17 most digital economies of the World. India’s core digital sectors accounted for about $170 billion or 7 percent of GDP in 2017–18, and this is expected to grow to 8%-10% of our GDP by 2025
With rapid digitization comes the challenges of the risks posed by technology. While nations increasingly reap the benefits of technology and the digital economy, at the same time due diligence is needed to protect Critical Information Infrastructure assets and harness the power of digital data for both, economic growth, and national interests. The benefits that digital and interconnected technologies bring to the digital economy are phenomenal with the broader digital ecosystem that creates exceptional value for society.
The benefits Digital brings to governance, business and national security are countered by the increased pace of cyber-attacks, disruptions, data and intellectual property thefts, and attacks on sensitive, data-rich systems. This is due to the intrusive nature of interconnectedness that challenges privacy and security. These threats in Cyberspace are rampant and are waiting to disrupt/damage businesses, critical services innovation, and global economic growth.
There is a dire need for the Government of India to intervene and help the sectors to improve the cybersecurity posture of the country. The National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) 2020 is expected to be released shortly which will be laying out India’s Cyber Security roadmap for a time frame of the next five years.
Honorable Prime Minister had announced during his Independence Day Speech that a new Cyber Security Strategy will be presented to the nation as dependence on cyberspace is bound to increase in times to come. Some of the aspects that the strategy is expected to cover are- capacity building and skill development, supply chain security, Security of SMBs, sectoral preparedness, adoption of emerging technologies et. al
At the upcoming Annual Information Security Summit (AISS), DSCI would be hosting a special session that would entail future casting the impact of NCSS 2020. The session would endeavor to model the future and help analyze the implications of the strategy for various stakeholders and sectors and how can different players gear up to contribute to the overall strengthening of the country’s cyberspace.
This session would particularly be useful for Cyber Security thought leaders, strategists, CXOs and the leadership as this would critically reflect on the different facets outlined in the strategy document and the key actionable proposed from a preparedness standpoint.