Govt Calls For Citizen Feedback On National Cybersecurity Strategy

With rapid digitisation, businesses adopting technology for the first time, security threats and incidents are on the rise in the Indian market. And the government is currently in the process of updating the national cybersecurity policy. Having announced that the 2013 policy will be updated by 2020, the government is inviting suggestions from Indian citizens for the National Cybersecurity Strategy to cover all scopes and diversity of cybercrimes and cybersecurity areas of interest.

Those interested in contributing to the policy can drop in their suggestions on the newly launched National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 (NCSS 2020) website. The new policies will be in place from 2020-25. The last date to submit the suggestion is December 31, 2019.

The website reads, “The Indian Government under the aegis of National Security Council Secretariat through a well-represented Task Force is in the process of formulating the National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 (NCSS 2020) to cater for a time horizon of five years (2020-25).”

By rolling out the “National Cybersecurity Strategy 2020”, an updated version of the National Cyber Security Policy 2013 (NCSP 2013), the government is planning to address the issues of cybersecurity under three dimensions or pillars.

The first agenda of National Cybersecurity Strategy is to secure the national cyberspace, which has been subjected to privacy breaches and hacks in the past. Secondly, the government aims to strengthen the infrastructure and processes that are connected to the internet. Thirdly, the government aims to synergise the resources available through cooperation and collaboration with different players.

Speaking at the event organised by SKOCH in August 2019, national cybersecurity coordinator on cyber policies Rajesh Pant had emphasised on the need for different departments of ministries to coordinate and regarding various aspects of cybersecurity, proper critical infrastructure protection and public-private partnership. Moreover, he added that the private players should focus on providing safer connections as they’re a critical part of the information infrastructure.

Similarly, India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, speaking at Paris Peace Forum this month, added that any action plan such as the National Cybersecurity Strategy which advances opportunities for security researchers and respond to challenges on the internet would need clear roles for all stakeholders.

The concerns of the Indian government regarding the cybersecurity in India are not unfounded and there’s a great need for a concerted effort to thwart cyber-attacks. The National Cybersecurity Strategy is likely to play a crucial role in helping businesses overcome security challenges in the Indian context.

According to NASCOMM’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) report published in May 2019, India registered the second-highest number of cyber-attacks between 2016 and 2018. The report adds that the average cost for a data breach in India has risen 7.9% since 2017, amounting to INR 4,552 ($64) in 2018.

Due to this rise, many businesses have opted for cyber insurance policies to mitigate risks. In 2018, approximately 350 cyber insurance policies were sold in India, noting a 40% hike from that in 2017.