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GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY INDEX 2024

23rd September, 2024

	GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY INDEX 2024

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Context:

India Achieves Tier 1 Status in Global Cybersecurity Index 2024.

Details

According to the Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 (GCI), released recently by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), on average, countries have taken more cybersecurity-related actions and improved their cybersecurity commitments since the last index was released in 2021.

Pillars for measurement

ITU's GCI 2024 assesses national efforts across five pillars, representing country-level cybersecurity commitments: legal, technical, organisational, capacity development, and cooperation. It also uses a new five-tier analysis, a shift that allows a greater focus on each country's advances with cybersecurity commitments and resulting impacts.

Performance of South and Southeast Asian countries

The report places 46 countries in Tier 1, the highest of the five tiers, reserved for “role modelling" countries that demonstrate a strong commitment in all five cybersecurity pillars. Southeast Asia countries India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam make it to the Tier 1 in this GCI 2024. The Philippines is part of the 29 countries in Tier 2 reserved for “advancing” countries.

Threats highlighted by the report

These include ransomware attacks targeting government services and other sectors, cyber breaches affecting core industries, costly system outages, and breaches of privacy for individuals and organisations.

key findings from the report

Legal measures are the strongest cybersecurity pillar for most countries: 177 countries have at least one regulation on either personal data protection, privacy protection, or breach notification in force or in progress.

Cyber awareness campaigns are widespread:  152 countries have conducted cyber awareness initiatives targeting the general population, with some also targeting specific demographics.

Incentives for the cybersecurity industry continue evolving: Governments are promoting the cybersecurity industry through incentives, grants, and scholarships.

Many countries cooperate on cybersecurity through existing treaties: 92 percent of countries (166) reported being part of an international treaty or comparable cooperation mechanism for cybersecurity capacity development, or information sharing, or both.

Capacity development and technical pillars are relatively weak in most countries. More countries have a national cybersecurity strategy.

Critical information infrastructure (CII) efforts often lack supporting legal measures: 54 percent of countries globally having an agency, ministry or other entity bearing responsibility for CII cybersecurity, only 49 percent of countries globally have such a framework in place.

Suggestions

Capacity development initiatives need to be reinforced: Developing a strong domestic cybersecurity industry is essential to sustain progress.

Countries need to focus on protecting children online: 164 countries have legal measures in place for child online protection; only 94 countries reported associated strategies and initiatives, indicating a gap in implementation.

Privacy laws and regulations are increasing, and increasingly needed: With 8 billion records being breached in 2023 across over 2,800 reported breaches, the average cost of a data breach has increased by 15 percent over the past three years.

Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRT) are crucial for national cybersecurity: 139 countries have active CIRTs, with various levels of sophistication. CIRTs are not only domestic focal points on incident response, they also serve as important international nodes to connect transnational cybersecurity incident response efforts.

Events like regional and international cyber drills can be important in this regard, as national CIRTs can interact with peers and establish informal and formal connections.

Must read articles

CERT-IN: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/cert-in

CYBERSECURITY: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/cybersecurity-43-29

World cybercrime Index: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/world-cybercrime-index

DELHI DECLARATION ON CYBERSECURITY : https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/delhi-declaration-on-cybersecurity

 International Telecommunication Union (ITU): https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/international-telecommunication-union#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20United%20Nations,sector%20entities%20and%20academic%20institutions.

Source:

https://ciosea.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/security/global-cybersecurity-index-2024-how-are-apac-countries-ranked/113522411

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2057035

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q.Discuss various threats and challenges to cyber-security in India. What initiatives are being taken by the government to enhance cyber-security in India?