Published on 05 Feb 2025
International Efforts in combating cyber threats
Cybersecurity Ventures predicts global cybercrime costs to grow by 15% per year over the next five years, reaching $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, highlighting the imperative for international initiatives to combat cybercrime threats.
Budapest Convention on Cybercrime: It is an international treaty that seeks to address Internet and computer crime by harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques, and increasing cooperation among nations. India is not a party to the convention.
Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE): The GFCE is a platform that facilitates collaboration among governments, international organizations, and the private sector to strengthen cyber capacity and expertise.
Paris call: The Paris Call, introduced in 2018, is a multilateral initiative to promote stability and security in cyberspace. It encourages signatories to commit to certain principles, including the protection of critical infrastructure and no hacking for commercial gain.
G7 cyber experts group: To discuss policy approaches, share threat intelligence, and work towards establishing international norms for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.
Commonwealth cyber declaration: Adopted in 2018, commits Commonwealth member states to collaborate on cybersecurity capacity building, fostering cyber resilience, and addressing cybercrime.
The UN Office of Counter Terrorism has launched a Cyber Security programme to enhance the capacity of member states and private organizations to prevent cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure.
Internet Governance Forum (IGF): It brings together all stakeholders i.e., government, private sector and civil society on the Internet governance debate.
Government Interventions
As per Global Information Safety Report India ranks second in terms of targeted cyber-attacks. As per NCRB data, around 52974 cybercrime cases were registered in India in 2021. This is expected to increase further as Internet users in India are expected to be around 974 million by 2025. This necessitates the government to take adequate measures to address cyber security threats in India.
Legislations
Information Technology Act, 2000 (amended in 2008): The IT Act defines cybercrimes, outlines penalties for offences such as hacking, identity theft, and cyber fraud, and provides the legal framework for addressing cyber threats.
National Cyber Security Policy (2013 and 2020): These policies outline India's strategy to secure cyberspace, protect critical information infrastructure, and enhance the nation's cybersecurity capabilities.
Section 43A and Section 72A of the IT Act: These sections address the compensation for failure to protect sensitive personal data and the penalties for unauthorized disclosure of information, respectively.
IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: These rules provide guidelines for intermediaries, including social media platforms and messaging services, to enhance their accountability, user safety, and cybersecurity practices.
Digital Personal Data Protection Act (2023): It has provisions to protect data and to secure the privacy of individuals as well as increase Ease of Doing Business in the nation.
Institutional
National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC): NCCC is a centralized monitoring agency established to enhance cybersecurity by detecting, responding to, and mitigating cyber threats in real time.
Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In): CERT-In is the national nodal agency responsible for responding to cybersecurity incidents and coordinating incident response activities.
Secure Communication Network for Government Organizations (NIC-CERT): NIC-CERT provides cybersecurity services to government organizations, ensuring the protection of sensitive data and government networks.
National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC): NCIIPC focuses on protecting critical information infrastructure from cyber threats.
National Centre for Excellence in Cyber Security Technology and Research (NCCSTR): This center focuses on research and development in cybersecurity technologies and solutions to address emerging threats.
Other initiatives at national and regional level
Cyber Swachhta Kendra: To detect botnet infections and to create awareness among the citizens to secure their data.
National Cyber Security Awareness Campaign: The government conducts cybersecurity awareness campaigns to educate citizens about safe online practices, risks associated with cyber threats, and measures to protect themselves online.
Cyber dome project: A PPP initiative by Kerala police to address cyber security threats in the state.
Maharashtra cyber: The agency works upon cyber security training and awareness campaigns to ensure a safe digital environment.
Punjab Cyber Crime Prevention and Detection Centre: To ensure collaboration among agencies to counter cyber threats in the state.
All these indicate India’s level of preparedness in addressing the growing threat of cybercrime. These policies have enabled India to secure 10th position in the Global Cyber Security Index of 2021.
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Cyber security
International efforts for cyber security
National efforts for cyber security
General Studies Paper 3
Cybersecurity