M A I N   N E W S

Plans afoot to boost cyber security
* Security Council Secretariat to start 4 projects
* Wants govt, industry to work in tandem
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 15
Unveiling a roadmap to deal with emerging threats from cyber space in the country, the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) today decided to initiate four pilot projects, including one to study vulnerability in critical information infrastructure.

The Centre will be working in collaboration with the private sector that leads the development and adoption of information communication technology to overcome the cyber security challenges.

The swiftness with which postings on social media platforms triggered mass migration of students of the North-East from various parts of the country and threatened to disrupt the communal harmony clearly reflects the lurking dangers in the cyber space.

Releasing a report of recommendations of a Joint Working Group (JWG), National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon said both the government and the industry will have to work together to meet the challenge.

“We do not promise 100 per cent (cyber) security but need to be more secure and create a kind of architecture for the future. To start with, we will undertake four pilot projects, keep changing so that we are ultimately able to set a standard for the rest of the world,” he said.

The report recommended institutional framework by setting up a permanent joint working group, with representatives of the government and private sector, under the NSCS to work out an action plan for implementation of the recommendations.

In addition, a joint committee on international cooperation and advocacy will advise the JWG in promoting India’s national interests at various international fora on cyber security issues with the private sector setting up information sharing and analysis centres in various sectors and cooperate with sectoral computer emergency response teams at the operational level.

Besides studying vulnerabilities in a sample critical information infrastructure, pilot projects recommended include setting up of pilot testing lab, conduction a test audit and establishment of a multi-disciplinary centre of excellence.

Roadmap for the public-private partnership on cyber security includes creating an institutional framework, capacity building, security standards and audits and testing and certification.

J. Satyanarayana, Secretary in the Department of Electronics and Information Technology said 5 lakh professionals are required to work for cyber security.

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• Roadmap for the PPP on cyber security includes creating an institutional framework, capacity building, security standards and audits and testing and certification
• The Centre will be working in collaboration with the private sector that leads the development and adoption of information communication technology to overcome the cyber security challenges