AMCHAM and FTI list 7 recommendations for national cyber security strategy

A national cybersecurity budget, setting up information sharing and analysis centres (ISACs), along with new regulations to deal with cyber-crime are some of the recommendations made by the American Chamber of Commerce in India (AMCHAM-India) and Washington based business advisory firm FTI Consulting ahead of the upcoming National Cyber Security Strategy 2020.

The whitepaper, which was prepared in reference to the United Nations guide on developing a national cyber security strategy, was submitted to the office of the national cybersecurity coordinator (NCSC) in Delhi on Monday.   

NCSC has been tasked with creating a new National Cyber Security Strategy 2020 and is reviewing a previous policy that was released by the Government of India in 2013.

Read: Advocacy groups, think tanks suggest encryption tech, stronger laws for new cyber security strategy

FTI said that the implementation of the policy would bring India into the top 10% of the UN global cybersecurity index.

India currently stands at 23 among 165 nations in the cybersecurity index.

“The new National Cybersecurity Strategy 2020 will define India’s cybersecurity action plan for the next five years. We are taking all necessary steps to make India into a cyber-mature nation in the shortest possible time,” Rajesh Pant, the National Cyber Security Coordinator, Government of India said in a statement.

The seven key recommendations include:

• A ‘Whole-of-nation’ approach which calls for methods to ensure smooth coordination between the central and state government agencies.
• Creating a national cybersecurity budget, along with a cybersecurity taskforce which would include government agencies as well as participants from the private sector in India.
• Setting up ISACs for robust security infrastructure in key sectors such as transportation, power and energy, telecommunications, government services, banking and financial services, healthcare and strategic/public enterprises.
• Aligning global best practices for risk-based security frameworks, for both public and private enterprises in India.
• New regulations to deal with cyber-crime and s strengthen enforcement capacity.
• India playing an active role in the global cybersecurity standards-setting fora, and
• Setting up five cybersecurity centres of excellence in each state as well as preparing a cyber-readiness index for all states and union territories in India.

“Cyber breaches affect public and private assets without making a distinction between the two. Coordinated responses and stronger public-private collaboration are required for securing critical infrastructure assets and systems,” Amrit Singh Deo, senior managing director, strategic communications segment, FTI Consulting said.